What Will Be
by MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul
Summary: The Espheni were delayed by the actions of the 2nd Mass, but they've bounced back stronger than ever. The 2nd Mass have regrouped at Charleston, but there lie some they can't trust. To add to it all, a variable comes into play that could cripple the Espheni force, or bring humanity to its knees. The war is at its climax. Sequel to 'What Is And What Never Should Be'.
1. Forever Forward

**Author's Note: Haha, I actually referenced the Joker in the summary of the previous fic...and no one noticed. Anyway, anyone still here, thank you, and I'm very sure I'm dragging you along, JoyScott113. Not sure if anyone noticed, but a picture of Hal is in the picture for this fic. Why? Because:**

**1. He's my favorite character.**

**2. He threw a mean flower pot.**

**3. It was his fight since the beginning, I feel bad about killing him, so there.**

**TIME THING NOTICE: THIS IS SET 10 MONTHS AFTER THE LAST FIC!**

**HYBRID POWER LIST:**

**Superhuman Strength: IN S4E3, Alexis twisted Maggie's wrist to the point it almost broke, with one hand and seemingly no effort on her part. Also, seeing as the harnessed kids have enhanced stuff, I think Hybrids have it to a higher degree than the harnessed kids.**

**Superhuman Stamina/Regeneration: To the stamina, look to the second sentence under Superhuman strength. Regeneration.:..why not? This is AU now.**

**Superhuman Senses: Alexis states in S4E1 that she sees/hears things no one else does, so I'm taking that as this.**

**Weather Manipulation/Atmokinesis: Alexis displays this in basically every S4 episode, whenever her emotions are unsetttled, storms and winds brew up.**

**Telekinesis: Alexis shatters a vial with her mind in S4E2.**

**Telepathic Control/Communication with Espheni: It's kind of implied, as she talks to the Overlord like that, and I think if she can do that with an Overlord, the rest of the Espheni follow. And also I site "Brazil", the whole eyeworm thing.**

**Empathy: AU.**

Tom Mason had never been a blind man when it came to his sons and their behavior. Specifically the changes in it. Though his sons denied it, saying they were the same as always, Tom could see their true thoughts. Matt was raging, furious at the Espheni for being deprived the chance to apologize to his oldest brother, and he took it upon himself to kill every Espheni they saw. Ben was a little better. His motives were the Espheni taking away so many of the people he loved. So Ben, instead of mindlessly killing easily replaced infantry soldiers of the Espheni, decided to hit them where it hurt, and do whatever it took to complete the mission. The emotions that billowed around Tom whenever he saw or thought of his sons in the cold way they were now were indescribable, known only by parents in his situation. Anne understood, her only daughter, and last child, had been a psychopath, brainwashed by the Espheni at a young age to hate humans, seeing them only as tools. And the hybrid powers she had at her disposal made her to dangerous to leave alive, leading to the inevitable decision to kill her.

Anne yawned as she sat down next to Tom on the ground, the rest of their group resting. "You know...I've been getting wind of a group that thinks we aren't doing enough to fight the Espheni, and plan to make our government do...whatever offensive they have planned." Tom exhaled. Another thing to worry about. _Not to mention the way the last rebellion turned ou_t. It wound up undoing practically all of their work of liberating children from the Espheni youth camps, and then losing some of the civilian population.

"Don't they remember how the last one turned out?" _It was a massacre, and I never want to so that again. Ever. Though if these people don't wisen up, I might have to._ Tom leaned his head against Anne's, relishing in having her back to her caring self, as opposed to the cold side she'd shown after Lexi's death.

"That's the problem with zealots. No price is too high for their cause," Anne began rubbing Tom's back soothingly. "Anything you want to talk about?" Tom would never admit it, but in most military matters that stressed him, he confided in Hal, and occasionally Ben. They almost always made him feel more convicted in a decision, or showed him different ones. He wasn't used to talking with Anne about them, but now she was more than just a medic, she was a fighter alongside them. He was beginning to wrap his mind around sharing things with her, all of them not necessarily military, as she had been rather cold for a while.

"Why are there so few Espheni guarding everywhere we attack? There were three Skitters and a Mech at the last camp. I think three fighters could've taken the place down. It doesn't seem right. And we know they have Charleston under surveillance, but even though we gather more children, and make more fighters of civilians, they're not attacking us. Why?" Tom knew the Espheni were master tacticians, years of warfare against them had taught them that, and he couldn't help but feel they were biding their time, retreating until _something_happened. _We have no idea what that _something_ is. I know it isn't good for us, and I can't fight this feeling that this might finally make us lose the war, even after all we've done to try to win. _

"I can't disagree with you, Tom. I can't answer all your questions. I can, however, promise this: whatever they have planned, I will do my best to make sure you, or at the very least your children, get out alive. And the rest of the 2nd Mass and Charleston, if I can help it. Whatever they do, a small number of us will survive, and they may not win the war, but if they can survive long enough, grow stronger in numbers, they might be able to. And if they can't...maybe humanity is damned, maybe it's inevitable, but we won't just sit down and take it."

"Anne...after all we've lost, all we've been through, isn't that all for nothing if the end, we lose?" Anne kissed him, the first one after many months of an ice-cold attitude. _I'd almost forgotten how it felt._

"The question isn't is 'What if we lose?' the question is: 'What if we win?" Tom gazed into his lover's eyes, and found himself believing her. He let out a yawn, killing that moment. Anne let out a soft, tinkling laugh. "I think someone needs to get his sleep if he's going to fight the big bad aliens tomorrow." Tom nodded, and made his way to and into his sleeping bag. He was surprised when someone else wiggled in beside him. He knew it was Anne, and smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

**...**

It had taken less than five minutes to kill all three Espheni guarding the camp. _Two Skitters, one Mech. They're not even trying even more_. Tom's group, and additional fighters from Charleston, shepherding children into separate groups, doing it in an organized way with no communication, a result of how many camps they'd raided and liberated. _This is deadbeat, I'm glad this is the last one we're raiding._ Charleston had been able to give them more supplies and spare more fighters than before due to lack of Espheni presence, but Charleston was also ordering them not to raid any camps outside of an area they'd set.

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy," Anne told Lourdes, who served as primary medic now that Anne was a fighter. Lourdes forced a smile on her face, for even though she still hadn't gotten over Hal's death -Neither had Maggie or Tom, his brothers, or really anyone who knew him- she tried to act like she had. Though she was convincing no one. Maggie walked over to Tom and Anne.

"It's all going without a hitch. Like the other million camps we've raided." Maggie turned both eyes to Lourdes, and headed over to her. The two of them had grown closer since Hal's death, something no one anticipated.

"It's early enough in the day, we should be able to cover a fair amount of distance today, and probably be back at Charleston within three days, if the Espheni don't attack." Though they covered their tracks, had guards all night, no one feared an Espheni attack. They hadn't had one since..._a few months after Hal's death_. Tom nodded at Anne's report. Anthony whistled, a loud three note one, signaling the children were ready to move out. As they began the trek, Tom was approached by Weaver.

"Tom...they were raising those children to seek out survivors, alert the Espheni, and the adults would be rounded up, and turned into Skitter-human hybrids. When the children turned eighteen...they'd be turned too. The Skitter we interrogated through Ben said we'd be next, brought down by one of our own."

"We need to get to Charleston. Quickly." Tom spread the word to the people he trusted most, knowing that they would never betray him.

**...**

Aboard the Espheni airship that hovered above the Chinatown that had served as Alexis' safe haven. Alexis gracefully walked around the main deck, eyes flicking to the chrysalis, and the body within it, frequently.

"Will _it_ awaken soon?" Alexis knew full well the gender of her fellow hybrid, though refusing to acknowledge it as an equal. The Overlord, who had turned both humans into hybrids, nodded. Both were patiently waiting for the moment the hybrids would awaken and walk the earth.

**Author's Note: SHORT BEGINNING CHAPTER FOR A REASON!**

**Keep in mind, it only took Alexis ten months to grow into an adult...**

**And next chapter I introduce the hybrid, who is not an OC. **

**And no one seemed surprised Alexis was alive last fic...**


	2. A New Way To Live

**Author's Note: Ahahaha...anyway, I will elaborate this later on. Wait and see.**

He awakened in a translucent white bubble, and through it he saw what looked like an Espheni airship. _What? No way. I'm dead, or at least I should be. This doesn't look like Heaven, or Hell even. So where am I?_ Hal saw a white humanoid figure, and as it turned to face him, he mentally swore. _How is _she_ still alive? She was shot by Weaver! Then again, the Espheni have never played by the rules, and I guess they threw the rules of death out the window too. Twice._ Alexis approached his little bubble, and oh-too-familiar smile dawned on her face. The one that attempted to hide the psychopath beneath, and unfortunately succeeded unless she showed her true colors.

_'Hello, big brother.'_ His half-sister's voice rang clear as a bell in his head, and Hal had a feeling if he tried, he could do the same to her. Hal wanted to ask her _'How are you in my head?'_, but his half-sister could lie to the Devil himself, and the Devil wouldn't know he was being deceived. So he decided not to ask her, and figure it out on his own.

_'Hello, my psychopathic bitch of a half-sister'._ Neither of the two were using their familial relationships as compliments, but as insults. Alexis sighed, Hal could tell by her facial expression and motions. _It would be a lot easier to punch her if I could get out of this bubble._

_'I can tell you how to get out of the chrysalis, though punching me would be highly inadvisable, even if by some miracle you manage to.'_

_'How do I get out of the damn bubble?'_ Hal's patience was wearing thin, and if he was going to be trapped on an Espheni airship, it would be in a proper cell, not a bubble, or _chrysalis_ as Alexis called it.

_'Imagine it receding, will it, and it will be so,'._ Skeptical as Hal was, he had no better options, so he gave it a go. A few seconds later, the bubble slowly receded into halves, and once it disappeared completely, Hal unceremoniously dropped to the floor. Alexis glared at him, fighting a ridiculing smile. "I cannot understand how he thinks so highly of you."_ Who's 'he'?_ Curious as he was, Hal kept his mouth shut, and asked the questions she'd expect him to.

"Why am I here? How am I here? I died." _At least I think I did. You know your life is screwed up when you don't know if you died or not_. Alexis smirked, reveling in the fact that she knew something he didn't.

"Remember that 'marble' that rolled in? It was your chrysalis. It kept you alive and unconscious so my brother could..." Alexis trailed off, as if she wasn't supposed to tell him about that. _Of course, she stops at that point. Well, at least I know why I'm not dead_.

"That answers the _how_, not the _why_."_ And why did they even bother saving me? They clearly hate humans, and have never had a problem killing us_. Then Hal remembered the trap they'd used to get his father on their ship. _Unless, of course, they want something from us...what could_ I _have?  
_

"It's not my place to say," _Of course it isn't. _

"Well, then whose place is it?"

Hal had never been a patient person person to begin with, and the current circumstances were seriously pushing his already-pushed boundaries. He was assuming Alexis had been resurrected/spared death -he was still confused on that, with no clue what to call it- in the same manner he had. For obvious reasons they had resurrected Alexis, but_ him_? There was no reason he knew of to save him, which was why he was craving answers. His half-sister obviously knew, and wasn't sharing.

"The authority belongs to our creator," Alexis spoke in a way that told Hal she looked up to this 'creator' as if he were a messiah.

"Please tell me the Espheni didn't create humans, dump us on a planet to reproduce, and are now trying to take us back. I will throw another flower pot if you do." Hal didn't feel like throwing anything, - he was actually feeling nauseous- but he was in no mood to hear her lies about the origins of humankind.

"On the contrary, he re-created us. He made us better than any human being who has ever walked the earth, or any human who will walk the earth. He has made us closer to the perfection that is our Espheni brothers." Hal felt a flicker of guilt at seeing the level of trust she placed in the Espheni, the zealot passion in which she believed in their beliefs. _It's my fault...we didn't stop Anne from running, and they got you at a young age. I'm sorry, Lexi._ Much as he wanted to say that to his half-sister, he knew it would fall on deaf ears.

"Us? Really?" Hal covered up his momentary weakness with a sardonic attitude. "Well, Alexis, the Espheni are not my brothers. My brothers are Ben and Matt." _And genetically, I share them with you, but they're mine, and you cannot have them. Lay one finger on them and I will kill you. _

"Hal...we were bound closer to the Espheni than anyone else. We are the bridge, we will unite the galaxy." Alexis' eyes glazed, mind no doubt filled with the visions of grandeur the Espheni had pumped into her. "The Espheni discovered that human DNA can be mixed with alien DNA easier than most. Though the body fights, eventually they graft together, combing the strengths of both species." Hal had a sickening suspicion he knew why he was there, but he refused to dwell on it.

"So...they'll turn you into a super-hybrid, with a mix of DNA from every species? That sounds...impossible." Hal wasn't even trying for sarcasm, but something apparently Alexis and the Espheni had forgotten: realism. _Then again, I never really paid attention in biology, so it might be possible...listen in school, kids, it might help you out in case of alien invasions. Oh, and real life I suppose._

"I will be the hybrid." Alexis stated that as if there were a reason to doubt her. _Which is weird, since there are no confirmed hybrids I know of besides her..._ "Here he is." Alexis greeted the fish-face -sorry,_ Overlord_- in the language of the Espheni. Hal didn't even make an attempt to figure out what they were saying. The only other languages he knew besides English were high school Spanish, and a few choice words in a few other languages.

The Overlord turned his attention to Hal, and analyzed him with his eyes. Though some shift in the Overlord's facial expression told Hal the Overlord was pleased. _That just confirms my theory all the more. Which means everyone's lives are about to get a lot more interesting._

"He knows that you asked me why you were here. He will explain, through me, of course." I'm actually doubting whether or not I want these answers. "We have taken note of your father's...martial abilities, and are quite pleased with them, though they do annoy us sometimes." _Typical Espheni, playing down our achievements. And yeah, my dad is awesome. What else is new?_ Hal hoped to be like his father one day, though he'd never allow the Espheni to know that.

"He is too old for our needs, so we decided to look to his sons if any of them inherited his talents. You all inherited it, to varying degrees, but Matt was too young, and no one would follow a leader once-harnessed. So you were the one remaining." Hal was elated his brothers hadn't been selected, because they'd suffered enough in the war, without the Espheni._..no, I won't think that._ _They haven't confirmed it yet_. "We saved your life, and we made you better. Granted, it took ten months, in which you did not age." Alexis smiled after she finished the Overlord's message. _Ten months? Ten months? The 2nd Mass and my family could've died in that time!_ The urge to drop everything and go after them was strong, but logic prevailed. _I don't think me dying after jumping off a ship will be helpful for them. _

"Ten months to make a hybrid. Seems slow." Hal managed to keep his tone flat, but emotions were brewing up like a tropical storm inside. _I'm a freaking hybrid. A hybrid. I always took being human for granted. It could be worse, right? I could be full Espheni._ Hal tried to see the positive side, but he couldn't make himself believe it._ I'm just like Alexis. Wait...Alexis could do crazy stuff, like create storms._

"We tested our first hybrids on a baby and an adult. The adult is stronger, but the baby had more control." Alexis clearly didn't like admitting Hal was stronger, though Hal could care less about who was stronger. He just wanted every Espheni dead at that moment. _First Mom, and now my 100% human status. At least they haven't hurt my family any more since the Alexis incident...oh wait they could've during my whole ten-month-long coma thing._ "We have two hybrids, though we only need one. I'll give you three days to run on Earth, then I'll go after you. Whoever kills the other wins. I will have the power of the Espheni behind me, you will have whatever help on Earth you can muster."

Hal could tell Alexis thought she would win. He did, too. He was supposedly stronger than her, but he had no idea what their powers were, least of all how to use them. She had training._ I won't go down without a fight, if only to annoy her_. Then, possibly prompted by a bit of Espheni technology, or waking up from a ten-month coma and having the kind of day he'd just had, he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

**...**

When he woke up, he found himself in a backyard. Strange enough, he felt completely rejuvenated. The Espheni can knock you out like no one else. He sat up, and took in his surroundings. A black backpack was next to him, the second he touched it, he registered the change. Every sense felt hyperactive. He could feel every fiber in the backpack, which caused him to sling it over his shoulders as soon as he could. _Note to self: minimize skin contact with objects. And I think I have super-senses._

Hal stood up, and heard the sounds of water swishing in a bottle, cans rustling with the motion. _Maybe the Espheni actually want me to have a chance against Alexis. Still, I've been handed a death sentence either way._ Hal looked at the sky, and saw it was sunset, which was much brighter than he remembered. _Super-senses suck when you can't control them._ He decided to spend the night in the dilapidated house, then in the morning search for his family and the 2nd Mass. _If we're gonna die, we can die together._ The moment Hal entered through the door, his foot caught on something. _A wire! Trap!_ Though before he could react, something slammed into his skull and knocking him out cold.


	3. East of Eden

**Author's Note: To my new (and only) follower of this fic, thank you so much, and I really hope you read the previous two, elsewise you're going to be hecka confused. That being said, I hope you enjoy this!**

**Notice how Mira's changed Matt...the power of love.**

Tom sat straight and calm in his chair, facing Weaver and Marina. Officially, Marina was the President of the New United States, in light of the recent Espheni actions -or lack thereof- she almost never made a decision without consulting her 'war advisors'. "The Espheni have let their guard down so much...maybe they're tired of the war, and are leaving?" All three of them knew it was a naïve hope, which none of them had any trust in, but they had to consider every angle.

"Ma'am, if they wanted to go back to their planet, they would. No, it seems like they're gathering a force for an assault, maybe even defense. I don't think they're through with us just yet." Weaver voiced his thoughts in his traditional gruff voice. This meeting had been labeled as the two of them giving a report, but now Marina was asking advice on the defense of Charleston.

"If Weaver is right...do you think we could hold off a force that large?" Tom already knew the answer, but pretended to consider it for Marina's sake. _Hopefully, she'll think we have a chance. And that'll make one of us._

"We recruit more fighters from the civilian population every day. We send out patrols every day for supplies. Right now, that seems like all we need to do. We need to do more. Get more vehicles in case of an a mass evacuation, put supplies in their trunks so they don't have to waste time filling up. We need to build obstacles to slow down the Espheni in case of an attack. And we need more weapons. More powerful weapons. I sent a team to a nearby military base to see what they can scrounge up, as well as a few others on supply runs. If we keep this up, we might be able to evacuate most of Charleston in case of an attack." Tom didn't dare talk about their actual fighting chances. Unfortunately, Marina wasn't going to leave that alone.

"I'll send out orders to construct the obstacles, and I'll put Anthony in charge of where they'll be placed. Hopefully he lay some explosives in the ground. I'll also have civilians start putting supplies in the cars, as well as two guns per car. Now, what are our fighting chances?" Tom shared a look with Weaver. Weaver, however, was happy to let Tom be the deliverer of bad news.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to attend to supply run and sentry schedules." Weaver departed the room, leaving Tom on his lonesome in informing Marina. Marina faced Tom expectantly, and Tom sighed. _Thanks, Weaver._

"Even if we got our hands on rocket launchers and tanks...there are a lot of Skitters, Mechs, and Mega-Mechs on the continent. If they all come at us as one huge force...we'd have to begin evacuating the second we heard them coming to have a chance of half of us surviving. I'd advise civilians sleep near the cars from now on and have drills daily as to what to do, and maybe even start stocking up someplace nearby in case of an evacuation." Marina's eyes became downcast, knowing humanity's true odds against the Espheni.

"I'll do as you suggest. I'll try to find the other Masses." In ten months, they'd only located one, the 4th Mass, who had been on the verge if death. Charleston had sent out patrols near and far, radio broadcasts on loop, and no sign of any other Masses. "I think they fled to other states." The U.S. was a big place, more of a disadvantage than advantage. Marina's voice was broken now, her faith in the future of humanity gone. "So, no matter what, we're doomed. However many people escape, they'll get caught eventually. We will fall to the Espheni, it's inevitable."

"No...the Espheni cannot eradicate us. When they think they've won, a few humans will remain. The Espheni will leave, under the impression we no longer exist. Then, those survivors, however few, will revive humanity." _I have to believe in that. Otherwise...there's no reason to fight. Except to keep my sons alive, and I don't think I have a good track record at that. _Just at the mere suggestion of what had happened, Tom felt grief and regret begin to claw at his heart. "If you don't mind, ma'am, I need to help Weaver out with that schedule."

**...**

Matt ducked into the room, relaxing only when he heard Mira's familiar breathing. What they discussed in their meetings was treasonous, but those laws had been made by ineffective leaders, including Matt's own father. Mira, as usual, greeted him with a long kiss that lingered even afterwards. "Matt...you have to be 100% sure you won't say anything, otherwise we're doomed before our big statement." Matt nodded earnestly, desperate to prove himself to the group and Mira.

"I won't say a word. They need to get back to their old strength," Matt truly believed in their vision: to make the government strong enough to fight the Espheni the way they once had. _We have the forces now, why not? They're running from us_. "I just don't want my family to get hurt. We've lost enough members as it is."

"Matt, we're only going to hurt the person responsible for our weakness." Mira placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Your father will see things our way, and everything will be better."_ If your father becomes a problem, we will take care of him. I'll get one of our own as president, and I'll be in control, albeit behind the strings. And when you're old enough...I'll make you president, using your father's name can't hurt, and then together we will drive the Espheni from our planet. _

"You've laid the charges, then?" Mira nodded, relaxed at having Matt, her brave, strong, smart Matt on her side. Matt exhaled. "When do you detonate?"

Mira palmed the detonator from her pocket, and extended her hand to Matt, the detonator resting in the middle of it. "I was hoping the two of us could do it together." _I trust you Matt, but now you'll never speak out._ Matt, in a gesture that proved devotion, pressed his hand into hers. And the bombs surrounding the president's office went off.

**...**

Tom heard the blast more than he felt it. He ran back to the office he'd left minutes ago. Marina lay in the middle of the office, the part most untouched. He examined her, finding her unconscious with only a head wound. He scooped her up, and hurried her down the medical area, where a doctor quickly wheeled her away on a gurney. A few minutes later, Weaver rushed in.

"I just came from the President's office. Everyone thinks she was vaporized in the explosion." Tom shook his head, knowing half of Charleston had probably heard that by the time it had taken to reach his ears. _What's that saying? Lies spread faster than truth, and even then, the truth never quite catches up?_

"She had shrapnel cuts and a few burns, a head wound, but she was definitely not vaporized." Weaver left to go spread the word. Matt and Ben both rushed in, obviously relieved to see their father alive.

"We came here to see if you were okay. We heard the bomb go off..." Matt hugged his father tightly, and Tom returned the favor. Ben hugged his father too, releasing far quicker than Tom wanted him too.

"I'll go see if I can find any signs of the mole," Ben ducked out, and Tom focused on his son, who clenched him all the more tightly, if it were possible.

Tom did nothing to deter his son from continuing the hug. _When was the last time he ever displayed affection like this?_ Tom didn't care about the actual time, he just knew it had been far too long. Matt finally released his dad, and Tom looked down at his son.

"What were you doing when the explosion happened?" Tom didn't think his son would do it, not at all. He wanted to know what his son had been doing, that he'd dropped everything and tried to find his father. Matt fidgeted, looking down, blush coming on his cheeks.

"I was with Mira," Matt looked up at his father. "I heard the bombs go off. I ran for you." Tom felt a rush of warmth in his heart, and drew his son in for another hug. Ben reappeared, and cleared his throat to get their attention.

"It was remotely detonated. We have no clue who the mole is. It could be any of us." Given the destruction the last mole had caused, tensions would be even higher. Distrust would be spreading right when it could cause the most damage._ It sounds like the Espheni._

"The Espheni have used a mole before, and it was a child loyal to them. I think it may be another one." Or an adult giving Skitters information for amnesty. It could be anyone. Tom looked at his two sons, and knew two people it couldn't be. _We may not be in paradise, but the fact I have people I can trust under situations like these is close enough._


	4. To Have And To Hold

**Author's Note: Hmm...well, I'm hoping to get at least one review before I end this fic. Anyway, I find it funny how I get different reviewers for each fic...ANYWAY!**

**By the way, no experience in pregnancy or childbirth, except for when I was born, which took 2 hours...**

**I referenced a popular series in here with names...twice. And the Shawshank Redemption.**

**OCs in my fics never appear for more than a few chapters. Always very minor characters, and they almost always die. So, no worries.**

Hal woke up with a headache that matched all the descriptions he'd ever heard or read (yes, he actually read sometimes) about hangovers. If he'd ever needed a reason never to get drunk, this was it. He sat up slowly, trying to minimize the spinning of the world. I_s this how it feels to be high? Because those 'meth is death' campaigns are very true. Were._ His ears detected two heartbeats in the room with him, and he scanned his surroundings. It was a dark room, with a basement-like feel Hal couldn't explain, with lamps burning in the four corners. Sitting in the shadows, face barely outlined by the lamplight, was a woman. Judging by the size of her stomach, a woman very far along in her pregnancy.

"Ma'am," Hal began, using the term his mother had drilled into his head -though he used it only to angry female teachers, girlfriends, and women when his mother was around- "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to ask a few questions." _I sound like a cop right off of Law and Order._ The woman titled her head more into the light, revealing dark hair and deep eyes the color of shadows, filled with wariness. She's been through the mill. Hal had a nagging suspicion her pregnancy had not been consensual.

"Do you mind moving the lamps closer? They give off heat." It couldn't be much, but better than nothing. Hal positioned the lamps near her, and saw the blanket she had covering her, another folded on her lap. She noticed him looking at it, and forcibly smiled. "For the baby, it's due any time now." _With my luck, I just might wind up delivering it._ "Thank you for moving the lamps."

"It was no problem," He couldn't lie and say 'my pleasure', because his pounding headache increased with the motion. "And if it isn't too much of one, do you mind my asking where we are?"

"Somewhere in South Carolina," Hal felt a tiny ray of hope in his heart. _Charleston is in SC! Maybe I can get there before Alexis rips my heart out and warn the 2nd Mass of the Espheni plan._ "What's your name?" Hal was caught off-guard by the question, and it took him a moment to recover and answer properly.

"Hal. Hal Mason." _Mason. I wonder how the other Masons are doing. Probably not trapped in a dark basement with an evil half-sister coming after them. And probably not a alien-human hybrid either._ Luckily, his mind remembering proper etiquette steered him from his thoughts that would probably qualify him for ADD. "What's your name?"

"Sonrisa," Hal inwardly grimaced at the Spanish word for smile -or is it a different word?- something that had rarely appeared on faces since the war began, and certainly not on here recently. She patted her stomach gently before continuing. "If it's a girl, Miracolina Catherine, and if it's a boy, Héctor Ricardo." Hal felt a _sonrisa_ upon his face at the name 'Miracolina', which meant 'miracle' in Italian.

"Coming up with baby names seems like a nice way to pass time in prison. I think Andy Dufrane's jealous." Hal tried to keep the pain off his face from his increasing headache. He managed a laugh from Sonrisa. Still smiling, she tilted her head at him in a curious way.

"I'm surprised you're not trying to find a way out." There was no accusation in her voice, just plain desire to know. Hal closed his eyes as a blinding pain stabbed him between the eyes. He sensed her mood change, instantly concerned about his well-being. But there was nothing she could do, he was slip sliding away...

Into nightmares about Karen. Not nightmares, memories. A jumble of them. First his, before she was abducted by the Espheni. Then...ones from Alexis' persepective. Karen preaching about how Alexis would show mankind the way to a better future, a humbling one. And Alexis drank it in, believing in nothing but her 'role' as the messiah. Her conviction wavering as she spent time amongst the humans at Chinatown. When her family came in, she received orders from the Overlord, and she carried them out to the letter, doubting them. However, when she was shot by Weaver, her convictions strengthened, her seeing humanity as traitorous scoundrels. The memories ended, and Hal woke to Sonrisa's fingers probing his neck, no doubt checking for his pulse. She did the only natural thing to someone who just woke up from randomly falling unconscious: she slapped him.

"Don't worry me like that again! Your pulse sped up like a race car, then it practically stopped!" Her stern tone was offset by the concerned and relieved look on her face. Hal's mother came to mind, an image strengthened by the fact Sonrisa was her age. Hal sat up slowly, feeling a slight weakness in his arms, but no headache. _Did Alexis send me those, or the Overlord? Probably the Overlord, trying to brainwash me into Espheni society, or trying to get me to take it easy on Alexis. Or Alexis trying to get me to go easy on her. Whoever it is, it doesn't matter._

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Hal's apology was sincere, though he was a little confused why she was concerned about someone she barely knew. Must be all those hormones, screwed up by the baby. Having witnessed his mother pregnant twice, he knew what women could be like. His gaze flitted to her stomach, and he was unable to stop the question that came impulsively out of his mouth: "Who's the father?"

"The leader of the gang who has us. He intends to breed with me many times, he has made that clear." Hal thought of the four years the war had gone on, and wondered just how many attempts had been made. Sonrisa was apparently mind-reader like most women, for she corrected his thoughts. "He only got me recently, and was lucky the first time." Hearing that, Hal flared up with anger. It was as if the same crime had been committed against his mother or Maggie. He sensed the winds stirring before their howls could be heard, and the storm clouds gathering above them. Hal stopped it, soothed by an instinct telling him to remain incognito. Sonrisa didn't appear to notice, and plodded on with her thought. "Normally, he would have interrogated or killed you by now. I overheard them say something about special circumstances-" Sonrisa cried out in pain. Hal immediately lost all other trains of thought, focusing only on her, and whatever was ailing her. Of course, she's pregnant, clutching her stomach._..oh God._

"How recent have the contractions been coming?" _If I'm wrong, alleluia! If I'm not...what's the time when you start worrying? Ten minutes? Five minutes? Five minutes is from the Cosby show...how are we supposed to tell time accurately?_ He heard a door swing open, and a gun pointed at Hal's face.

"Did you harm her? Or the baby? Boss'll make you suffer if you did!" The man seemed a little too trigger happy, and under the stress of the situation and annoyance at the blind stupidity of the wielder of a gun, Hal cracked. His cracks showed as irritation, which was promptly displayed.

"She's going into labor you blundering idiot, so point the gun away from me unless you want to deliver the baby yourself!" Hal snapped, knowing it may not have been the best move, considering these men could kill him at any time. _Okay, I'm human, made a few mistakes. Shoot me, actually don't. Wait, I'm no fully human.._

"Boss'll want to help in the birth of his baby." The guard left, no doubt to hail the aforementioned man. Sonrisa paled noticeably, and Hal knew having her rapist in the room while she gave birth to the baby conceived in the act might have ill affects. Not that he hadn't considered that before. The 'Boss', with two armed guards, flounced in with a swaggering gait. Hal heard Sonrisa's heart rate increase, terror overtaking her emotions as she remembered the traumatic event.

"Get the hell out of here, her heart rate is increasing and that's not good for her or the baby!" If not for the fact Sonrisa was giving birth, he'd have launched himself at the asshole, armed guards or no. The Boss took a threatening step forward that didn't intimidate Hal one bit.

"I want to help give birth to my child." Hal chuckled inside at the response given, thinking of all the retorts, logic, and lies he could use in his response.

"Look, buddy, if you want to carry the next baby, fine by me, sort that out afterwards. For now, let me deliver the baby. I can do it, but only if her blood pressure lowers, and that'll happen only if you leave." The words flowed out of his mouth, and Hal didn't regret a single one of them. A muscle ticked in the man's jaw.

"What makes you better at delivering a baby than me?" Once again, the attempted intimidation failed to have an affect on Hal.

"I was in medical school before this. Now, if you really want to help, you'll find me a pair of gloves and a knife, all sterile. Also a clean blanket and water." The man's eyebrows raised, showing just how little he knew about baby delivery, though Hal was no expert himself. _Lourdes, where are you?_ "Pair of clean gloved because it's a medical procedure, knife in case of Cesarean-" -_Which I have no clue how to do, but a knife is a handy weapon-_ "clean blanket to deliver the baby on, and water to clean the baby and for her to drink. Babies take a lot longer to come than in movies!" _I myself took 24 hours_. The Boss huffed, clearly intending to shoot Hal whenever his usefulness expired, then left. Which was fine by Hal, because he planned to deliver the baby then break them out.

"That's over..." _Great, what to do next, Mr. Not Really A Doctor?_ Hal paled at what he knew had to happen next. _This is going to be the most uncomfortable thing I have ever done. _Hesitant, even though it was necessary, Hal asked, "Sonrisa...I need to take your pants off if we're going to deliver the baby." Sonrisa nodded, and Hal eased them off, squeamish enough not to look. When they were completely off, he gave her a blanket to cover herself -_in case Señor Asshole decides to come back in_- and positioned a blanket to catch the baby when it came out. "Now we wait for the supplies to come." One of the Bosses' henchmen appeared with all the requested supplies. Hal pulled the gloves on, put the knife in his pocket, blanket to Sonrisa's right, and the ginormous water jug (completely with a pan to drink out of) to her right.

"Need any water?" She shook her head, and cried out in pain as another contraction hit. Hal winced, wishing he could do something. Then, for once, his hybrid self became useful. He was attuned to Sonrisa's emotions, and the baby's. He didn't question how he was able to read the emotions that came off them in waves, he just read them. Sonrisa was terrified for her child, and the baby was afraid of all the change in its dark womb. Hal managed to calm Sonrisa down by whatever ability allowed him to read her emotions, and linked the baby's emotions to her calmness and her love, which helped the baby. _Thank you, hybrid self, for actually doing something useful. _Abruptly, the emotion-reading session ended as Sonrisa cried out in pain again. _I have no idea what I'm doing, please don't let me screw anything up_._  
_

"You're not a doctor, are you?" Sonrisa gasped out. Hal shook his head softly. "Well...better you than him, and you seem to have an idea of what you're doing." _I actuallly have no idea. _Hal nodded his head, trying to throw her off the complete-novice-is-delivering-your-baby subject. _Childbirth is natural, it was done in the stone age, so no worries, right? Of course the infant mortality rates must have been higher...What do I do at the end of the birth, once the baby is out? Don't I cut the umbilical chord, and then the platella-no, that's not right...placenta! The placenta comes out..._Hal was suddenly very thankful his mother had told him all about pregnancy and childbirth, discouraging him from having sex before marriage. _'Hal, I know you'd never do it, but if you get a woman pregnant, you're attending the birth'. _So naturally she'd told him all that went on so he could comfort whoever he was with. _That plan failed miserably, Mom. Once I thought Maggie...but now she thinks I'm dead, I probably will be, and I don't want to have a part-alien baby. Not my cup of tea, but very sure DNA is passed down to babies. _Sonrisa cried out again. Hal did the only thing he could to calm her down.

He told her stories about his family, about the 2nd Mass (all were cheerful and funny and uplifting, as anything else didn't seem appropriate for the situation) and about Maggie. He left out more recent events, the whole Alexis ordeal and him supposedly dying but not actually dying. He told her her baby would be strong, brave, smart and beautiful, and would have the aliens running in fear, and time flew by. She listened eagerly, glad to have something to focus on, as well as more knowledge on the man delivering her baby. "You're a good midwife." She forced out, sweat covering her face. He gave her water to drink, and gave a half-smile.

"I prefer midhusband." She laughed, but winced in pain. Hal knew instinctively the baby was coming, and laid hands on the knife. Sonrisa flooded with fear, Hal could sense it. "For the umbilical chord." Sonrisa nodded, still in fear for her baby. Hal heard it coming with his super-sensitive hearing, and when it dropped, he cut the umbilical chord quickly. He wrapped the baby in the blanket delivered by Señor Asshole, and began cleaning it with a cloth. "We have to wait for the placenta." Sonrisa groaned at having to wait more, or maybe a hundred other things she could groan about, though when Hal finished cleaning the baby, he gave it to her to hold.

"It's a girl," Hal could've said 'Meet Miracolina', but it seemed right for Sonrisa to say the baby's name first._ Thank goodness it isn't Alexis or Denise_. Sonrisa smiled down at her baby girl, an emotion in her eyes Hal couldn't name.

"I'm naming her Miracolina Denise, after your baby sister." _I jinxed it_. Hal looked at the tiny baby, stripping off his gloves, and thought of the baby Alexis would have been if not for her hybrid status. _This is who Alexis would have been, and should have been. _And now Hal himself would never enjoy fatherhood, something he'd wanted for a while._ Never mind the fact Alexis'll probably kill me, but I'd never make a baby now that I'm not human_. Sonrisa extended Miracolina out to Hal, who hesitantly took her. The baby wiggled a bit, and Hal smiled at the adorable, tiny, innocent thing. _That doesn't mean I can't love babies. _As he held the baby in his arms, he felt 100% human, and even after he handed her back to her mother, he still had that feeling of being whole.

**Author's Note: For the record, Miracolina took 2 hours to come out. And as for slow update...my great-aunt needed help, and old people love to chat. Then the new episode came out...**

**MAGGIE IS A JERK! She cheats on Hal with Ben, then when Hal needs her most, she ditches him for Ben. He lost all his familial support because of her.**


	5. To Love And To Cherish

**Author's Note: Well, I'm overcoming my writer's block, so here I am! And thank you so much for the two reviews!**

**IMPORTANT STORY NOTE: Okay, I re-watched S4, up to episode six, and realized Alexis shouts her thoughts into Anne's mind, and even projects her consciousness into Anne's mind. That counts as telepathy to me, so the hybrids have been upgraded.**

_Superhuman senses._

_Superhuman strength._

_Superhuman stamina._

_Superhuman regeneration._

_Empathy._

_Telepathy._

_Weather Manipulation/Atmokinesis._

_Telekinesis._

**ALL RELIGIOUS PEOPLE! Particularly Christians, no, I'm not saying Christianity justifies this. I think she need something to believe in, and having been told her whole life Jesus was always there, she turned to him, and told herself he approved.**

Mira was undeterred in her resolve, even though the military was being more cautious than ever. The fact that they blamed an Espheni mole was all the more better, for it distracted the military from the group that would save mankind: The Freedom Fighters, led by none other than herself. _And Matt of course_. Matt. She knew he had run to his father after the bomb blast. That proved he wasn't devoted entirely to their cause. She needed something to cement him to her cause, to her. If she could kill the father, and make it look like the Espheni...no, Matt would always have a lingering suspicion it was her.

Mira bowed her head as she knelt in the chapel. Born and raised Catholic, churches had always been a sanctuary for her, and she came to them whenever she doubted her path. _Lord Jesus, I know you want me to do this. I know you want mankind, your greatest creation, to be the best of the best, but I doubt it so, even though I know it is wrong to doubt you, for you are always right. Jesus, give me guidance and strength for the future, and most of all, forgive me my trespasses._ _Lord, if I should stray from your path, please set me back on the course you have set for me._ Mira dropped her eyes to the floor, memories of hymns no doubt once sung here flashing through her head.

"Mira? Is that you?" Lourdes soft voice carried through the empty church, echoing off the semi-dilapidated walls. Mira pivoted her head to follow Lourdes' movement, who knelt beside her. Lourdes was the most devout person she knew, never wavering in her faith. _She will be able to tell if my path is right._

"Lourdes...do you think God approves of the end justifies the means?" Mira couldn't blatantly ask _'Do you think God would approve of an assassination to save humanity?'_, as that would end her mission before it had a chance to begin. Lourdes cocked her head, then sat on a pew, and Mira did likewise turning to face Lourdes so their knees touched. Emotions and thoughts flitted across Lourdes' face and mind, until she answered calmly,

"It isn't my place to judge God, but..." Lourdes paused, and Mira figured she was praying for forgiveness. "God prizes us above all else. Violence is a part of life. We cause our own disasters, and we must solve them. God...I think he lets humanity carve our own path, as he gave us free will. I think he gives us suggestions and choice, but the choice is ours alone."

"The Nazis killed millions of Jews, but that got America to stop the world war." Mira needed more of an answer, required it. She had to know that what she was doing was right, and that reassurance she craved could come only through God. Lourdes inhaled and exhaled, readying herself for a painful story. Mira leaned in a bit closer, knowing from experience painful stories had the best morals.

"I romantically cared for two men, but I know now I truly only loved one. Both of them are dead. The first time, I grew extremely depressed, and doubted God. The way I'd changed...it made the others around me rise up and try to avenge him, and comfort me, making our bonds stronger. Jamil died for a reason. We will all die, someday, it's just a matter of when and how. Those are up to us." Lourdes sniffled, but Mira had to press, call it hormones, but she was intrigued.

"What about the other one?"

"I loved him more than any other man," Lourdes' eyes fillies with mourning, as she undoubtedly remembered the man she spoke of. "He was a great soldier. Courageous, strong, and loyal too. Then he died, and so far...it hasn't done much be send everyone apart. We all miss him, but instead of joining together and rising up, we're falling away from each other. I pray to God for unity against the Espheni." Mira cocked her head, confused.

"Not victory against the Espheni?" Lourdes shook her head, pain flooding her gaze.

"No. Unity. Hal showed me that unity is more important than winning or losing. It's about sharing the triumphs and losses. I want to win this war, for Jamil and Hal and everyone else who's dead. But afterwards...I'll have nothing but my job." Mira looked into Lourdes' eyes, the grief still as raw as if it were yesterday. Mira saw not the semi-cheerful doctor, but the grief-stricken girl inside. Lourdes squeezed Mira on the shoulder. "If you love a man, treasure every moment, and never let your last words be harsh. Most importantly...if you give your heart out, make sure you get his in return." Lourdes wiped tears from her eyes, and began to pray. Mira, sensing Lourdes wanted to be alone, genuflected as she excited the pew, then hurried out of the church to find Matt.

**...**

Ben leaned against the wall, ears alert for any abnormal sounds. Ben had been assigned to help guard the President, and it was his job to use his superior senses to detect any threats. He had memorized who was supposed to guard her, and when, as well as the doctors who would tend to her. Ben wished Denny were here, to help pass the time. _But she'd also be a distraction, and with a job as important as this...best not to be distracted._

Ben sighed, all the distrust and plots were getting wearisome. _What happened to honorable warfare? If there was ever such a thing_. Ever the history student, Ben had read about multiple accounts of what he believed to be honorable warfare. He did not let those thoughts lapse his concentration, however, and stretched his senses as far as they could go, which was quite a distance. He detected whispers, nearing the President's room.

_"We _have_ to do this right. The first time, she survived." _Ben was very sure they were talking about the President. He began making his way to where the noise was coming from, in the hopes of stopping them before they could do any harm. He finally found that they were going through the walls. It was a space below the President's room, barely used in Charleston. The walls of the storage space connected to the floor of the President's room, a perfect place to place explosives. Ben broke down the wall, to the astonishment of the two men inside the hollowed out walls. He pointed his gun at them, having _no_ qualms about killing them.

"Who masterminded this?" Ben inquired, for he had always been a curious person, and on something like this, he just couldn't resist. _Besides, the sooner we cut off the head of the beast, the sooner it stops being a threat. And goodness knows we have enough of those. _

"The Freedom Fighters," One blabbed, then a sneer overtook his face. "Your government is weak, they cannot fight the Espheni. To protect ourselves, to save humanity, we must drive the Espheni off our planet. We have the power to, so why are we not?" The man sounded like one of those cult guys from the horror movies he and Hal used to watch, though mostly Hal. The thought of his older brother saddened and angered Ben, as it always did.

"You were willing to let the Espheni take the blame, then set yourselves up in control of the government. You conniving bastards." Ben fought the urge to shoot them, though it was tempting. We need the lackeys to find the leader. "Hands on your heads, now!" Whether it was the unhinged tone, the kind that said he didn't give a damn if he shot them, or the fact he had a gun that made them obey was anyone's guess. Hands on their heads, they surrendered and walked out, following Ben's directions to where Cl. Weaver was.

Weaver glared at the two would-be bombers. "I'll send a man to collect their weapons and add them to the armory. Now, you two men have committed attempted murder of an official, punishable by death." The two men gulped, fear in their eyes. "Though I don't feel like killing you right now, and we can't risk holding you in jail, lest one of your friends break you out. So we're gonna do the next best thing: banish you. No supplies, no weapons, just the gift of the pathetic excuse that is your life. You-" Weaver gestured to a soldier beside him. "Escort these two men away from Charleston. When you return, make sure everybody knows they're unwelcome, and make our fighters aware that they are to shoot on sight of these men." The two men were escorted out, and Weaver exhaled, obviously disliking what he had to do.

"Sir, they'll just come back, be let in by a friend..." Ben trailed off at Weaver's raised hand, an overt order to be silent and listen.

"I said after they were banished, to be shot on sight, yes? It'd take days to organize an official execution. Banishment..." Weaver snapped his fingers. "Just like that. And it's basically a death sentence." Ben nodded, trying to hide a shiver at what had to be done to protect the general population. _We can't blame the Espheni, either. When it comes down to it...we're our worst enemies._


	6. Judge, Jury, and Executioner

**Author's Note: Okay, warning for this chapter, Hybrid powers do appear. Now, I WANT TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING! Alexis' powers stir up whenever she sees people fighting (thank goodness she isn't in present day America) so, I think Hal's would stir up if he's trying to protect someone, or if he needs them in self-defense. There we go, done now.**

Hal was grateful for the grace period. Obviously, the 'Boss' had no desire to be in a room with a mother after childbirth. It wasn't Hal's first pick of places to be, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He respectively turned away whenever Sonrisa fed her baby, and while doing so, tried to look for a way out. _I'm getting a Saw vibe, and I don't think that's good. Of course, Señor Asshole did say he was going to kill me afterwards, and I'm in a basement...I want to play a game. I have way too much thinking time on my hands. Can you become ADD from thinking too much? Definitely too much time on my hands._

After hearing the baby cry for the billionth -_possibly trillionth_- time, Hal was desperate to get out of there. He was also sure that once the cries were reported to the 'Boss', the 'Boss' would come down here, and kill Hal, and have another baby come along in the next nine months. The mere thought of the 'Boss' and Sonrisa made Hal flood with anger. _Locked in a basement, with armed guards outside, how the hell are we going to escape?_ Because Hal was _not_ going to let them stay in there one more minute. _I'm hand delivering Sonrisa and Miracolina to the 2nd Mass myself, and it'll suck for _anyone_ who tries to stop me._

He was coming onto the frustration of having his hybrid abilities not under control, not for the first time. As Sonrisa rocked her tiny daughter, over the soft sound of her lullaby, Hal detected Señor Asshole's arrival. Hal warned Sonrisa, and she put on a game face, cradling her daughter close. The door swung open, and the man's gaze swept over the room, intent on finding his baby. Hal glared at the man, willing any of his hybrid abilities to do something. Sonrisa stepped back, her maternal instincts taking control of her mind. The 'Boss'_tsk_ed, a sound Hal hated so much it ranked right up there with the Espheni. "You would deny me the right to see my child?" Immediately, the guards' guns trained on Hal's head. Sonrisa stayed still, conflicting emotions across her face.

She did not protest verbally when her tormentor approached, but just as the monster reached for Miracolina, the anger that had simmered in Hal ignited. Señor Asshole and his lackeys were slammed and pinned against the nearest wall by a telekinetic force. Sonrisa clutched her baby tighter, fear and shock dancing across her face. Hal raked his gaze across the room, enjoying the tormentors be put in the hands of the tormented, as well as having his hybrid abilities under control, however temporary that may be. Hal quickly decided on a verdict, and snapped all their necks at once. He grabbed one of their guns, and motioned for Sonrisa to follow, though she did only on the trust of the man who delivered her baby safely.

Hal used his superior senses, and all the sentries were quickly taken care of. Hal swiped his backpack on the way out, stocking up on precious supplies. Once out of the compound, Hal turned to Sonrisa, who was praying in Spanish. _Great, she thinks I'm the Devil incarnate. Terrific_. "I promise you, I won't hurt you or Miracolina." Sonrisa did not respond, though on the bright side, she stopped praying. Verbally, at least. They tried to press on, but Sonrisa was still aching from the delivery, and they had to stop for the day. Hal gave her a can of beans and another of mixed carrots to eat, as well as a bottle of water. He gave her yet another can, remembering she had to feed the baby too. _I'm so not ready to be a father. Thank goodness I'm not. Though I can see the appeal_. Fatherhood most tempted him whenever he watched Miracolina's eyes fasten on her mother, the emotions in them made Hal want a child looking up to him like that. _Being a parent must be hard, and also rewarding_. Once the baby was fed -Hal investigated the nearby areas of the woods they had camped in during that time- Sonrisa turned to Hal, her whisper barely audible.

"How did you do that back there? I know it was you." Hal knew there were millions of lies he could have told, not that they would have all made sense, but he chose not to tell any of them. Why? Because he so desperately wanted to tell someone what had happened, and since it appeared he'd be traveling with her for a while...she was his only outlet. _Even if I had my family here...I'd probably not tell them. Though I would tell them Alexis is back. In fact, I have to tell them that. I have to find them. But first, I need to tell Sonrisa, and hopefully she won't try to kill me, or run off._

"I'm no angel, if that's what you're thinking," _No, I'm much worse than that_. "I'm a hybrid. I don't know the exact percentage or ratio or whatever, but I'm part Espheni." Sonrisa may not have known the true names of the aliens, but the second he said Espheni, it clicked in her mind. Her mouth opened in shock, and Hal froze, fearful she'd treat him like he were a monster. Instead, her face softened. She nodded, and let out a shaky breath.

"I'm going to sleep," Sonrisa lay down, and Hal's stomach growled to remind him he hadn't eaten recently. _Technically I haven't eaten in over 10 months, due to the chrysalis thing, but I didn't need to eat, which probably disqualifies me from the Guiness Book of World Records. _Hal found himself a can of vegetables to eat, taking careful count of the remaining cans. _If I don't eat any tomorrow, Sonrisa'll have enough for two meals_. Hal hoped they'd be able to find more food along the way, but he could only wait until tomorrow. After eating his supper, he sat against a tree, straining all his senses for any signs of Espheni troops. In the silence of the night, he decided to figure out what his abilities were. _Where's the comic book king when you need him? Ben'd be able to name these easily. _Fortunately, his brother was presumably safe with the 2nd Mass, and Hal preferred it that way.

_Guess I'll have to make do with what I can remember_. Which wasn't much, for his comic book phase had been years ago, and that was before the invasion. _Alright, I can clearly move objects with my mind, which is...telekinesis! Haha, Ben, you're not the only smart one! _Depression came over Hal as he realized he couldn't tease his brother about being a brainiac. To ease the depression, he went back to his original task. _Got that down, along with the super-senses, and weather manipulation...I swear I read her emotions while she gave birth...that's...umm...empathy? That sounds right._ _Why didn't I memorize this stuff before the invasion? Because I thought it was useless, and in those circumstances, it _was_useless_. Now that seemed like a lifetime ago, a flipped version of their reality.

He closed his eyes, and tried to conjure up ideas on how to train these abilities. _Alexis is probably after me at this point, and I want to stand at least a little of a chance -'quietly, I can't let him hear'. _Confusion sprang up inside Hal at how he heard Sonrisa's voice inside his head. He barely opened his eye, and saw her slowly sit up. '_Quietly now, I have to get away'. It's so trippy to hear her voice in my head...what if it's a two-way street?_ His eyes flashed open, and Sonrisa clutched Miracolina to her, looking at him as if he were Señor Asshole, the man he'd ruthlessly killed. Hal froze, but Sonrisa turned and ran onto the road. Hal started to follow her, but a Mech caught her in its sights. _No! _He knew Sonrisa heard it in her mind, and somehow he knew the Mech heard it, but what he was receiving was worse. Sonrisa's mind was filled with the life she wanted for her baby, the same life Miracolina would never have now. Miracolina's mind was a swirl of emotions, and Hal felt tears coming into his eyes, from their emotions and thoughts, as well as his own. All of them knew what would come next.

As the Mech fired, a row of harnessed children Hal had seen before appeared too. They were the children that had been executed by the Skitter their harness had made them trust and love. The Mechs' bullets mowed down Sonrisa and Miracolina, and the harnessed children dissipated into Hal's memory. The Mech resumed its patrol as if nothing happened, and Hal ran to Sonrisa's side, knowing she and Miracolina, were dead. Hal was openly crying now, the tears going down his cheeks. He had touched their minds before they died, he had thought their thoughts, experienced their emotions...it was a type of communication verbal could not compare to.

Hal knew there was scientific logic behind it, that being in stressful situations gave people strong bonds despite being together a short time, but Hal didn't give a damn about that. He was crying for Sonrisa, a woman who despite being raped, loved the baby from it with all she had. For Miracolina, a miracle for her mother and him, who would never experience the fullness of life. _Life is sacred, anyone who disregards like this..._Hal heard the skies rumble, echoing his agony, no doubt caused by his abilities. _I don't care anymore. Why take a mother and her child?_ Hal was suddenly unnerved by the parallels of Sonrisa and Miracolina to his mother and Ben. _Except we got Ben back. Miracolina..._Hal bowed his head, feeling drained of everything. _Why? Why are they dead and I'm still breathing?_ Hal heard thunder in the distance, and felt a tingle in his blood. Somehow, he knew it was Alexis, manipulating the weather, preparing an attack.

He looked at the bodies of Sonrisa and Miracolina, which could be walked by in a few minutes by another and they'd have no clue as to who the corpses had been. _I'm sorry I have to abandon you here, unburied, but Alexis and the Espheni have to pay. And I'm going to make sure it happens_. The flaming hatred in his heart managed to temper it, but it was only a matter of time before the wall came crashing down. Hal stood, giving one final glance to the dead family, burning it into his memory, and began on his way to his half-sister.

**...**

Tom was uneased by the sudden weather change. From where he stood, on the outskirts of town, a dark mass of clouds overtook the sky, sheets of rain falling to the ground. _It's too spontaneous to be real weather, right? Then again, I'm no meteorologist_. It was still unsettling, considering the threats that loomed over their heads, from inside and the Espheni. Tom sighed, wondering how humanity could've lasted so long when it was apart, not united like the Espheni. Tom heard Matt run up to him, and turned to face his son, immediately switching into father mode.

"Dad...Ben caught two of the guys trying to kill Marina. Weaver wants to know if you've ever heard of a group called the 'Freedom Fighters'?" Tom shook his head, and Matt exhaled, possibly out of breath or out of relief. "Matt, is everything alright with you?"

"Of course," Matt replied defensively, then softened. "The weather has me spooked." Tom rubbed his son's head, fully aware that despite the fact he agreed with his son, he had to reassure him.

"Everything'll be fine, Matt, I promise." Tom heard thunder rumble, and wondered if they should move into the inner parts of Charleston. Unfortunately, as the lightning flashed and thunder clapped above, a humanoid shape appeared, clad in all white, escorted by Mechs.

"Father, everything will be okay. You have been handed a great destiny unto you. All of you." Alexis held up her white flag of truce, the rain arcing around her. Tom was paralyzed, his dead daughter was alive.

"Matt, get Weaver and Anne, now!" Matt dashed off, and Alexis smiled. Tom noticed it was eery how she was so alike to Karen in her mannerisms.

"I bet you're wondering how I'm here. Don't worry, I'm not the only one." A knowing gleam in her eye made Ton fear what she meant by her not being alone. "Though I must not distract you from the news of your destiny. If you revolt, you will be killed. Live peacefully as you do now, and you will experience life in a new way." _Out with the new, and in with the old, because whatever the Espheni have planned cannot be good for us_. "You will be a more evolved species than you are now. A mixture of what you call Skitters, and yourselves. Resist, and you will die. Carry on peacefully, and you will experience new life, as yourselves." Alexis turned and glided away, as Weaver and the others showed up. Anne paled, seeing her daughter gliding away with ghost-like grace.

"Alexis?" Anne whispered, trying to validate that it was her daughter. Before disappearing into the storm, Alexis turned to face them, and Anne sucked in a gasp. "How..." Alexis tilted her head and smiled, forcing an image of Karen to appear in Tom's head.

"Remember what I said, and that you are your own judges, as well as executioners if you choose." With that, Alexis disappeared into the storm she had come from, and the storm disappeared from the sky, leaving only the puddles of rain as evidence it ever existed. _Judge, jury, and executioner. Why do I think the Espheni are all three?_

**Author's Note: The Masons reunite next chapter, as well as a group that's been a bit forgotten...**


	7. Start At The End

**Author's Note: I DIDN'T UPDATE YESTERDAY BECAUSE I WANTED TO WAIT FOR THE NEW EPISODE...and holy crap it was worth it! (SPOILER) Lourdes is killed by Alexis, who makes her eyes bleed. HYBRIDS GOT UPGRADED, ALBEIT WITH A CANON POWER!**

_Superhuman senses._

_Superhuman strength._

_Superhuman stamina._

_Superhuman regeneration._

_Empathy._

_Telepathy._

_Weather Manipulation/Atmokinesis._

_Telekinesis._

_Biokinesis. (Alexis uses it in Saturday Night Massacre to kill Lourdes, RIP Lourdes)_

**AND NO LONGER IS EMPATHY AU, ALEXIS SAYS SHE READ THEIR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS IN THE EPISODE!**

Hal arrived right as the storm cleared, revealing bright and sunny skies. His blood was tingling, so Alexis had to be nearby. _Where the hell are you, Alexis?_ Hal felt the cliché tingle up his spine, and turned to face his half-sister. She was dressed in the white gown that seemed to be her uniform, and she raised a hand to touch her necklace, which meant _'unity'_ according to her._ The only thing our two species share is a hatred of the other_. Alexis smiled, tilting her head in a Karen-like manner. Hal remembered all the trouble Karen had caused, and realized Alexis could cause infinitely more. _So can you. Shut up, otherwise I might just think I'm schizophrenic._

"Hal, I don't know why they even bothered making you, you're so weak. I'll kill you easily." Hal had to resist the urge to strangle her, but he had a feeling she would expect that, and in hand-to-hand combat, it was always preferable not to make the first move. So he decided to provoke her, using his natural talent of being annoying.

"Kill me easily? I remember knocking you out with a flower pot!" Alexis narrowed eyes full of hate, and Hal knew he'd pressed the right button. Not even Alexis' supposedly infinite patience could withstand his talent of ticking people off. Hal's maternal grandfather had often said Hal could try the patience of Mother Theresa. Alexis narrowed her eyes, and somehow Hal knew she would try to use a telekinetic attack against him. He sensed the wave of telekinetic energy before it hit, and easily countered it with his own. He flicked his wrist and sent her flying back, though she managed to catch herself. As she looked up, he thought he saw a flicker of fear in her eyes._ Maybe I am the more powerful hybrid_.

She again squinted in concentration, though this time not going for a telekinetic attack. She was aiming for the most important weapon for a hybrid: the mind. Hal felt her telepathic attack ripple off his mind, and her glare became all the more fiery. Thunder rumbled above, adhering to her emotions. She ran at him, and Hal was struck by his unfortunately when it came to her, chivalrous side, the whole _don't-hit-a-woman_ idea his mother had drilled into him. Alexis charged, slamming her arms into his chest so hard it was his turn to fly backwards a good ten feet. _Has she been taking steroids? She doesn't look it but holy shit that throw...damn!_ Hal got up just in time to see her running at him again. He punched her in the gut as soon as she was in his range, and he swore her eyes bugged out of her head for a few seconds. _I think w_e both _took Espheni steroids_.

Alexis managed to pry him off, and when their eyes met, hers were filled Satan's wrath. _So much for familial relationships_. Hal sensed electricity in the air increasing, and knew it could only be his half-sister's doing. So he did the stupidest thing he'd ever done, which was saying something. He summoned the Mech with his mind. He could sense its mind nearby, and simply summoned it. Alexis' bolt of lightning hit the Mech instead of its original target, though a side effect Hal didn't see coming was the Mech exploding. Since he was only a few feet away, it affected him most, leaving his ears ringing and the world spinning. Hal tried to raise his head from the ground, but the second he lifted it an inch it began pounding and he felt light-headed, so he left it there.

Blood was flowing from somewhere on his head, and Hal hoped he looked dead, for Alexis was completely unaffected, and could easily kill him. Alexis began to approach him, but something stopped her in her tracks. Her lips moved, speaking words he could not hear. Seeing he wasn't comprehending them, she sent them into his mind. _'Whenever you need them most, your family will always betray you'._ She glided into the woods, with a hurried gait that somehow did not take away from her effortless grace. As soon as she left, Hal's mind spiraled into darkness.

**...**

It was only natural Tom should be one of the group to follow his daughter's trail into the woods. Once the reinforcements arrived, consisting of Weaver, Anne, Ben, and Matt. After the sound of the explosion, they sprinted, abandoning all caution. When they arrived, all of them were stunned, not one of them ready for what they saw. Especially Ben and Matt. What they had expected and what they had found were two totally different things. They had expected to find Alexis, and instead...instead they'd found Hal. Judging by the area surrounding him, he had been caught in the explosion, though what caused it was unknown. Though how Hal was there intrigued them more. Anne pressed two fingers to his neck, and gasped before exclaiming, "He's alive!"

Immediately Ben draped one of his older brother's arms over his shoulder and began to transport him back to Charleston. Tom gestured to Matt to go with Ben, needing to speak with Anne and Weaver alone. Immediately, the trio formed a tight circle, preparing themselves to enter a discussion about a topic they knew almost nothing about.

"How is he still alive? The explosion should've killed him." Weaver led the discussion, his tone was one of a scientist who just witnessed something that defied all the laws of physics, complete and utter disbelief.

"A better question, how'd he wind up here, of all places? Sure, it's been ten months and he could've walked, but there's no sign he had a weapon, and you can't survive ten months in this world without a weapon." Tom nodded, agreeing with everything Anne said. Though he disliked what she implied in the last statement.

"He'd never deal with the Skitters," _They took away his mother, and there's no way he'd dishonor her like that_. Tom was aware that ten months in this world, alone or a captive of the Espheni, could change a person, but in the same way you cannot compel a pacifist to commit murder, you could not compel the Masons to help the Espheni. Tom also knew that he could not allow his feelings to blindside him as they had with Alexis, for they might not escape so unscathed the next time. _The Espheni have used him before. Wouldn't they know we'd distrust him?_ One of the worst things about fighting the Espheni was you could never truly tell how much they knew, whether they had a mole or not, or knew of this plan or that one.

"We have no proof of an eyeworm, so we can't do surgery on him..."

"How about we keep him in a cell until we know what's going on?" Anne suggested, and Tom sighed. He knew the Espheni were targeting his family out of vengeance against him, and turning his family against him would be the perfect revenge, even if the family member were under Espheni control. As much as Tom wanted to trust Hal, he couldn't, not under the circumstances.

"First Lourdes gives him medical care," Tom was not going to debate the matter, and Anne and Weaver had no objections. Weaver started on his way to Charleston, though Anne placed a hand on Tom's arm to stop him.

"Tom...you know how Alexis was after the Espheni got their hands on her. She wasn't the sweet little girl we knew and loved, she was a monster. You need to be prepared for the same thing." Anne had gone through that very thing, seeing her only child metamorphosis into a monster, and mothers had a special bond with their children. Tom couldn't imagine willingly allowing one of his sons to be killed, even if they were a mole. Rebecca had given her life to protect them, and Tom couldn't dishonor her by killing even one. Not to mention they were his sons. "I'm sorry," Anne whispered, and began the trek back to Charleston. Tom left a few minutes later, wishing more than anything it wouldn't come to that.

**...**

What really struck Hal as abnormal was the first face he saw when he woke up wasn't anyone in his family's face, or even Maggie. It was Lourdes, who gave a slight jump when he saw her. As he looked at her, he saw the wire-link fence behind her. _I'm in a cell, not that I didn't expect that_. He_ had_, however expected to see at least one member of his family there, however. "Lourdes..." Hal had no idea what to say._ 'How've you been the last ten months since I last saw you?_', or maybe _'Nice necklace,'_?

"Hal..." Lourdes dropped her gaze to the floor, and Hal was hit by the full awkwardness of the situation. Thankfully, his injuries created not-quite-so-awkward grounds for conversation. "How're you feeling?"

There were a whole host of answers he could respond with, ranging from: _'Not wholly human,'_ to_ 'Like I was caught in an explosion recently,'_. Once, Hal could've answered right off the bat, possibly even making Lourdes laugh. Now...he could barely answer a routine question.

"Fine,"_ Ah, 'fine', the word most often used in lies. How does anyone still believe it?_ Physically, he did feel fine, so it wasn't a whole lie. Everything else was about as screwed up as it could feel. Lourdes sat down on the end of his cot, smiling softly.

"I'm glad you're alive, Hal, and for what it's worth, I don't think you're an Espheni spy." _Thank you, Lourdes, though why she would open with that...ooohhh, I see_.

"They think I'm a spy, don't they?" Lourdes nodded, a sympathetic look in her eyes. _Of course, they want to distance themselves from me so if I am a spy -which I'm not- then they can feel less bad about killing me_. Hal didn't blame them, but he would've liked to talk to his father, maybe even tell him about the hybrid thing.

"They just want to have a non-biased view on this, and Cochise came back, saying Alexis destroyed a drone of theirs...We're not in a good situation." Lourdes sighed, closing her eyes as if to forget about the troubles if only for a moment. "I'm sorry, but they wanted me to report when you woke up, after asking you if you remembered anything."

"Not a thing," Hal replied, the lie barely catching in his throat._ Report on me? What am I, a Skitter to be studied?_ Lourdes gave him a sad smile, an attempt to make him feel better. _Thank God for you, Lourdes_.

"Hal, if you need a friend, I'm here. I haven't forgotten what you did for me while I was under the eyeworms." A guard -_A guard, really?_- let her out, and Hal exhaled, closing his eyes, hoping for some much-needed sleep. _Maybe I'll have at least one person not trying to kill me_.


	8. Actions Speak Loudest

**Author's Note: This chapter and the next are kind of stage-setters, but after that...:)**

_"Only solitary men know the full joys of friendship. Others have their family; but to a solitary and an exile his friends are everything." -Warren G. Harding.  
_

_"People build walls, not to keep others out, but to see who cares enough to break them down." -Cathy Graves._

Ever since being confined to his cell -that he could break out of at anytime, because it was _not_ hybrid proof- Hal had been given too much time alone. He had experienced enough to clear his head, get his story straight -_I really sound like a murder suspect_- and then some extra time. Not one member of his family had bothered to visit him, even to interrogate him. The only human Hal had interacted with since Lourdes' visit the day before was the guard who obviously had eternal PMS. "When do I get my phonecall?" _I don't care if you send in someone to try to kill me, just send in somebody! The boredom might actually kill me before all this waiting does, and it'd be a shame if I died right when my family came to visit._The guard snorted.

"You want me to call your girlfriend? I might even give you two some private time. Shame, I thought a Catholic girl would have more sense." Hal's mind went blank with rage, and it was all he could do not to telekinetically snap the man's neck. Suddenly the guard pressed both hands to the sides of his head, dropping to his knees. Two conflicting thoughts took control of Hal: _What am I doing? I need to stop! Stopstopstopstop_, and the crueler _He deserves it_. The latter was true, but Hal was in no mood to commit murder, so he calmed himself down by thinking of Lourdes' smile, though that was probably cheating on Maggie. _Although Maggie hasn't visited me, and I'm not sure what our relationship is. _Thankfully, the abrupt change of mental focus stopped the telepathic attack on the guard, who left immediately, no doubt to tell Tom or Marina or both that Hal was possessed or an Espheni spy._Honestly, he'll probably make me out to be the Anti-Christ, though with my newfound luck, I probably am._

Hal figured he had at least ten minutes while everyone was figuring out what to do with him, so he decided to try to lift the cot he was sitting on, with his mind of course. When after a few minutes, it was a wasted effort, he attempted the blanket that was still neatly folded at the end of the cot. _Visualize and will. Visualize, and sill. In, and out. _Miraculously, when Hal opened his eyes, it was floating in front of him. He released his hold on it, and down it fell.

A sharp pain stabbed Hal behind his eyes right afterward. At first sharp, it deadened to a slight pounding. Hal heard someone approaching the jail hallway, where his and all the other cells were. The footsteps grew louder, and soon Hal saw his father, in the flesh, hopefully not a hallucination, right in front of him. _You know, what if I'm imagining it because I'm so bored. Or maybe I'm in a coma and Alexis is screwing with my mind again...nope not going there. Focus, Dad's finally here. _Hal found it really hard to focus with the pounding in his head.

"Did I use up my phonecall?" _Because I'd like to call for a psych eval, a doctor, or room service_. Hal asked innocently, not expecting a serious response. Tom shook his head, and sat in a nearby chair that was a safe distance from the cell.

"What'd you do to the guard?" Tom was all business, and Hal let out a quiet breath through his nose. _Alright, umm...ah! _Hal hid a wince as the pain in his head increased.

"Absolutely nothing," -_Which is an absolute lie_- "I was in here the whole time." _Not a lie. I'm getting better at the whole 'honesty is the best policy thing'. Maybe I'll get released early for good behavior. _

"He said he felt a sharp pain in his head that affected all his pain receptors, said he was paralyzed and couldn't think of anything." Tom's tone conveyed the overt fact that he clearly didn't believe Hal one bit. _I think I need to work on my lying skills._

"I don't know anything about that," I totally do. Hal leaned against the wire-link fence of his cell, eyes closed trying to block the light. _Isn't light bad for headaches?_ "but I will say this: I hope it hurt him in his genitals, because he was a dick." _Not one lie in that last part_.

"I think you know something, though no comment on the second half." Tom leaned forward, Hal could hear it. Hal sighed, not wanting to talk about that anymore.

"I'm not working with Alexis," -_That'd be the worst partnership ever, considering we have to kill each other_- "and if you're pissed that I was gone so long, I had no control over that." _Or anything that happened to me_. Hal was fully aware that there was almost no chance his dad would become amicable afterwards.

"We all thought you weren't working with Karen and you were. Or that Lourdes was an Espheni spy." Tom stated calmly, and Hal felt his mind go into debate mode, and his father had given him the perfect premise for an argument.

"That's the point! You didn't suspect us! I'm sure the Espheni know I'd be distrusted! And honestly, I don't want in on your meetings! I just want a guard that isn't an asshole!" _Or maybe someone willing to trust me besides Lourdes. Either one._

"Really? You're not asking to get let out?" Tom's brow furrowed. _I would, but I don't ask stupid questions. I learned that from you. _

"No, because then everyone would accuse you of pulling favors for your family, and I want to get out of here on my own terms." _That is true. I'd rather be let out than break out_. Tom stood up, clearly confused by Hal not asking to be let out. Neither of them knew how to respond, so Tom left in silence. _Bye, Dad_. Hal closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep to escape the ever-growing headache.

**...**

Lourdes managed to carry on normally throughout the day, though she couldn't get Hal out of her mind. She had cried the past ten months when no one heard, and here he was, delivered by the Espheni with seemingly no strings attached. She remembered what he'd done for her when she was held by the eyeworms, and she intended to do the same. Even if he hadn't done that, she'd still do it, because he was her friend. Friend, that's all. Speaking of friends, Maggie appeared next to Lourdes.

"Hey, Lourdes, do you have a minute?" Lourdes nodded quickly, since the lack of Espheni attacks had reduced the amounts of injuries, so it was mainly whatever scrapes children could get that required her attention. "I know you saw Hal yesterday. Did he seem...normal?"

Lourdes frowned, picking up on what Maggie was implying. And Lourdes, a tolerant person, was not liking where it was going. "He was normal, considering he had a concussion and a head wound." Lourdes snapped bitterly. Maggie's eyes widened, having never seen Lourdes react like that. Lourdes immediately calmed down, sorry for having hurt the girl whom she had befriended in the months since Hal's presumed passing. "I'm sorry, Maggie, I didn't sleep well last night." Lourdes lied apologetically. Maggie forgave it with a wave of her hand.

"I didn't sleep well either," Maggie softened, worried about her friend. "What's bothering you?" Lourdes shrugged as she organized the medical supplies, a habit formed by extended periods of nothing to do.

"Lourdes, talk to me."

"I don't know. It's just...Hal disappears, they pull out, Hal reappears, they become active, and Alexis comes back. I can't help but think they got something they wanted from him, though none of us had any knowledge of the long-term plans." Maggie patted Lourdes on the back to comfort her.

"There's nothing to worry about. You said so yourself, he couldn't have known anything. They're probably just trying to make us suspect him when we should be looking for someone else." Lourdes nodded, deciding that was what she would believe, for it made the most sense of what she knew. "Hey, let's go visit him together. Both our beautiful faces must help jog his memory." Lourdes smiled weakly, wondering if they wanted to know what he could remember.


	9. All About Perspective

**Author's Note: **

**Okay_, _I want to explain cocoons. BEFORE READING THIS, GO TO THE ESPHENI COCOON PAGE ON THE FALLING SKIES WIKI, made by yours truly. On that page, there are 3 pictures. The far right one, with Anne in the cocoon, is the cocoon Hal was in at the beginning of this fic. The one he needs to go into to, are the other two pictures on the page.**

**Now, speaking of cocoons, I'm going to explain why Hal has to go into his so much earlier than Alexis. Alexis was made a hybrid as a baby, so her DNAs grew together. Hal, however, was human for most of his life, therefore his DNAs aren't mixing very well. Comprende?**

_"An effective father devotes himself to becoming an instrument and model of human experience to his children...accepts and affirms his children for who they are, appreciates them for what they are accomplishing, and covers them with affection because they are his." -Gordon MacDonald._

_"Every father should know that one day his son will follow in his example instead of his advice." -Charles F. Kettering_

The worst part about the intense awkwardness was the fact only Hal could feel it. He could tell by their emotions -which radiated off them in waves, much as he tried to stop reading them- that they both loved him, not that he hadn't suspected Lourdes had a crush before. Unfortunately, their conversation was a loophole of small talk, which was about all Hal could manage, the pounding in his head increasing in effect with every second that passed. Both women picked up on it instantly, a talent it seemed every woman possessed. _Must be an estrogen thing._

"You feeling alright?" Loudes asked, leaning forward to get a better look. Hal swallowed, trying to keep an even tone despite the pain he felt. _Besides, I have a feeling what's wrong, and how to fix it. Sadly, the solution would get me killed. Either way I'm screwed_.

"I'm fine. Just a headache. I've had it since I woke up." Maggie's brow furrowed, and Hal willed for her to remember that Lourdes was a doctor. Lourdes frowned, her and Maggie sharing the same expression. The awkwardness -which was probably felt by all three at that point- was broken by Tom's arrival. _Thank you, Dad-ex-machina. _

"Ben and Denny just picked up on some Skitter chatter. Apparently there's a second hybrid. Do you know anything about this?"_ My new state just became the worst-kept secret ever. I'm the only one even trying to hide it. Of course, Alexis would love it if they killed me..._Hal didn't trust the group at Charleston -specifically Pope- enough quite yet to give them the full story. So he gave them the next best thing: partial truth.

"A little. They said there was a second one, more powerful than Alexis" -_I'm seriously doubting that, given she kicked my butt_- "and I think they said they were nearby. Apparently it and Alexis are having their own little Hunger Games to see who'll be the Overlord's bitch." Maggie chuckled softly at the last part, though quickly assumed an unreadable mask. _Well, mostly unreadable, me being the exception. _

"Maggie, go tell Weaver what Hal just said. Lourdes, go back to the medical wing, and get some medical supplies ready, we're sending out teams to find this hybrid..." Hal didn't hear the rest, the pounding in his head increasing with the tingling in his blood._Alexis is near! How do I warn them?!_ Gunfire tore the nighttime silence apart, and Hal heard the hum of Mechs. Lourdes and Maggie ran, no doubt ordered by Tom. _Alexis is coming for me, and there's no way I can fight her in this shape_. Hal tried to stand up, but a wave of nausea forced him back down._So this is how death, hybrid style, feels. It sucks_. Tom pulled out a key ring, and began unlocking Hal's cell. Hal heard the Mechs coming closer, his adrenaline began pumping, and there was only one person in this room he was worried about. The moment his cell door opened, he tackled his father like a pro as the building which served as jail collapsed.

**...**

"Hal. Hal. Hal, are you awake?" The first thing that surprised Hal was that he could see perfectly in the dark. Well, _almost_ perfectly. The outlines of things, even details like the pupils of his fathers' eyes, were seen with ease. The second thing Hal realized was that his headache and nausea had increased, and he was still on top of his father. Hal reached out a hand to his right, feeling only empty space. He eased himself off his father and collapsed onto the ground by his side, that tiny exertion somehow exhausting him. _Dying sucks_. Hal took in the space around him, noting it was too small. _Damn, I could've just done it here, and hopefully we'd be stuck in here for two days...though Dad would have probably died of asphyxiation by then. If Dad wasn't trapped with me, I'd have enough space...oh well, at least he's alive. That's all that matters_. "Hal! I've been calling your name the past few minutes! You got off and then you..." _Oh crud. I need to be more aware._

"I'm sorry," The cool feel of the rubble beneath him did wonders as to making him feel better.

"Hal stay with me!" His dad cried out, startling Hal. Hal closed his eyes to focus, and when he reopened them he was focused on everything inside their safety bubble, which was surrounded by the remains of the building.

"What happened when I zoned out?" Hal had a feeling he knew, but he needed confirmation. Tom sucked in a breath, as if what he was going to say next made no sense. _I've been getting a_ lot _of that recently. _

"Your temperature spiked, you felt like an oven, and that was just the heat coming off you. And when I touched your hand, there was this goo..." _I'm right where I expected to be. That means you're horribly screwed, Dad. _Hal decided the least he could was come clean to his dad about his new species, since it was the side effects of the DNA grafting that would kill his father unless a miracle happened.

"Dad...I can explain that. I'm the second hybrid." Hal held his breath, waiting for his fathers' response. _With the way everything's swirling..._A sharp pain came when Hal moved the back of his head to lie on his back. _I've got a cut there. Great. Probably a concussion too. Terrific._

"I'm not sure how to react," To Hal, that was better than _'You spawn of Satan!'_, and the next bit came as no surprise. "Tell me everything."

"There's not much to tell," _Really, there isn't_. But racking his brain helped him stay conscious, and that mattered most. "Apparently, they took me out of the explosion safely using a marble that somehow turned into a cocoon, like the one Anne was in." Hal was being fed images from his fathers' memories, his telepathy going haywire like all his other abilities. "I woke up after ten months, and Alexis explained everything. Apparently...I'm more powerful because I was made later on in life. They released me, I made my way here, and the rest...it concerns you." Hal left out Miracolina and Sonrisa, for he didn't need to be reminded of people he failed to save. _Just like now, I'm going to fail to save you. _ "I've been getting headaches and nausea and concluded...I'm dying. The alien DNA they grafted on is unraveling, though it's connected to my human DNA...there's a way to cement them together, fuse them as one, but that's not an option."

"Why not?" Tom, like any good father, wanted to know how to stop his child from dying.

"I have to go into a cocoon. I couldn't do it earlier because you'd all probably shoot me" -Tom didn't deny that, for Charleston would probably rule in favor of that- "and now there's not enough room. I'd kill you. Dad, we have to keep me conscious. I'll go into the cocoon otherwise." Hal, with his new night vision, saw his father scrabbling for a rock.

"What are you doing?" Hal winced as another barrage of his father's memories -accompanied by an amplification of head pain- assaulted him.

"Looking for a rock to brain you with," Tom replied calmly, the absurd combination of tone and words stopped all Hal's thoughts momentarily.

"Why?"

"So I can knock you out," Tom found a rock to his liking, weighing it in his hand to make sure it fit his needs. "You're not dying for me."

"If you die, and they see me in a cocoon, they will shoot me. So the only way one of us lives is by me staying conscious." Tom dropped the rock, albeit cursing under his breath, accepting the logic.

"The second we get out of here, you go into that cocoon and I'll explain everything." Tom ordered. Hal couldn't resist a snarky remark, for it was in his personality to do so, despite any head pain he may be feeling.

"Or what? You'll ground me?"

"I'll brain you with this rock." Hal knew his father would carry out that threat, and if Hal managed to stay awake the duration of their stay in their bubble, he would go into his cocoon when they were freed. "So...what can you do?" Hal struggled to recollect the handful of times he'd used his powers, and decided he would simply start from the most recently used.

"I've got super-senses, and I can read thoughts and emotions, unfortunately, the telepathy is going haywire and I'm getting some of your memories. Thankfully none of the ones with sex, otherwise I'd need therapy. Continuing on...I have telekinesis, I can control the weather. I can kind of command the Espheni, though I haven't really practiced that. And, um, super-strength. Those are all I know of." _I'm sure Alexis knows more though._

"You said telekinesis, right?"

"Uh-huh..." Where could this possibly be going?

"Feel the ceiling," Hal looked up, his eyesight giving him no need. There was a bunch of rubble overhead. _Okay, a bunch of rocks, what's so special..._Then Hal saw it. The portion of building that had fallen on them had been blasted into pieces the size of rock, which was above their heads. Nothing was holding up the rocks, at least anything physical. _This little hole is the perfect size for a cocoon...That moment when your subconscious is smarter and more powerful than your conscious self._

"Wait. If I'm the only thing holding this up...my powers are going haywire, Dad." Hal was beginning to grow light-headed, though it could have been from oxygen deprivation. "How long have we been done here?"

"You were out for a few minutes, I never went out. The rest...I'd guess ten-fifteen minutes max." _Okay. That's reasonable._

"How long do you think a team to dig us out would take to get here?"

"I'm sure they sent fighters to make sure the Mechs were gone, then...maybe five to ten minutes." Hal tried to focus his hearing to locate the rescue team, he was certain they had a fair amount of rubble overhead,

but there was no way he could concentrate with his headache and light-headedness. "To pass the time...anything you want to talk about?"

"The Red Sox too outdated?" Hal's mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts, his mouth saying whatever it wanted to. Tom chuckled, a sound Hal hadn't heard in what felt like forever.

"Yes, Hal, that was three years ago...now four."

"I missed the anniversary party. Shame. Was there cheap champagne? It isn't an anniversary party without cheap champagne." Hal found his head was getting clear, the light-headedness receding. All that remained was the headache, which was becoming bearable enough so he could actually use his brain.

"Maybe next year. All we had was water." Hal grinned weakly, though his father couldn't see it in the dark. _If we both make it to next year. Even if we don't die here, there are millions of ways we can die before tomorrow, let alone next year._ "Hal...anything you want to talk about? From pre-invasion, or whenever? Anything bothering you?" _Come to think of it, there is one thing...it'll probably turn out to be stepchild syndrome, or whatever it's really called, but he asked for it_.

"Not that I don't approve of you two, or dislike Anne, but why are you with her? I remember you saying to Mom so many times that you loved her, but she dies and Anne comes along...you two got together awfully quick." Hal waited for his father to yell at him, or possibly punch him. Neither of those two happened. Instead, his father sucked in a ragged breath, and let it out just as raggedly.

"Hal...I will always love your mother, always, but I love Anne too. The best I can explain...you still cared for Karen, but you loved Maggie, right? That's the way it is with me." The mentions of Karen and his mother so close together brought stabs of grief into his heart, fresh as the day they died.

"So Mom was second place to Anne," Hal replied, unable to keep a slight bitterness from his tone.

"No, no, no, Hal, it's the opposite. Hal, you can love more than one person. You might not love the second as much as the first, but you can still love them." Warmth buzzed in Hal's chest at his father's words, though he had no idea why.

"I see," Hal couldn't think of a better response than that, and his social skills were a bit rusty. "So, how've Ben and Matt been?"

"Fine. They've changed, though. We all have." _You can't exactly go through an alien war like this one and be the same person when you went in. Heck, that applies to any and every war._ Hal looked at himself and tried very hard to find remnants of who he was before the war. He found bits and pieces, and he was grateful for that.

"Anyone in there?" Weaver's yell came loud enough despite the layers of rubble.

"Me and Hal are trapped!" Tom shouted, hoping they could hear. Hal's haywire telepathy shifted its focus to Weaver, who had heard them.

"I remember being trapped in an explosion with Maggie," Hal stated simply, for absolutely no reason.

"Did you frickle-frackle?" A bizarre image of his dad as a child asking tentatively flashed across Hal's eyes, and he promised himself he would schedule a therapy session when he got out.

"Dad, first off, only young people can say that, and no, we didn't. Something about limited oxygen, and really, who'd do that when you're trapped?" _We're probably both suffering from that right now, considering how stupid this conversation is._

"Horror movie people probably would," Tom replied, and Hal couldn't argue with that. He could, however, point out that they were often the idiots that died.

"Dad, those are the people who get murdered because they're stupid." They went silent for a while, listening to the sounds of rubble being cleared from above their heads. For some reason, Hal reached out for his dad's hand, like a three-year-old kid who didn't want to get lost at the mall. His dad took his hand, and Hal felt the same relief his three-year-old self had. He had an anchor, though why he needed one he didn't know. They laid in the dark like that for a while, drawing comfort from the fact the other was there and okay. Then Hal felt a burning ripple over his skin. He was unable to stop himself from letting out a small cry of pain.

"Hal!" His father was instantly alert, though it wouldn't help much. Tom put a hand on his son's arm, and immediately Hal's haywire powers transmitted his father's thoughts, his father was wishing that he could endure this instead of Hal, or even let it be something he could cure by shooting an Espheni.

"Dad..." Hal was overcome by a feeling that follows three days of the flu. It was that feeling of being too weak to get out of bed, like your strength was being drained and all you could do was sleep and hope for the best.

"Hal...damn it damn it damn it. Weaver hurry up! Oh God...come on Hal, when Weaver removes this rubble, I'm taking you to the school next door, and locking you in the classroom. You can go into your cocoon or whatever there, and then you'll be fine." The fear and concern in Tom's voice made Hal want to comfort his father, and he would've if he'd had the strength.

Their savior was, oddly enough, the aforementioned Anne Glass. The second there was an opening, Tom scooped up a rapidly-losing-consciousness Hal, and hurried to the abandoned school which was right beside the remains of the jail. Tom found the nearest classroom and propped Hal against the wall, checking his neck for a pulse. It was faint, but there. Hal's temperature was increasing, something Tom never thought he'd be so happy about. He quickly exited the room, and leaned against the door, determined not to let anyone in.

Of course, Weaver, Anne, Ben, Matt, Lourdes, and Maggie rushed into the school, demanding to know why Tom had just done that. After the initial proclamations, Anne ordered Tom to allow her to check him for injuries, and Lourdes wanted to check on Hal. Tom relented to Anne, though was adamant no one enter that room. Ben promised to guard it, if only to get his father to be examined. While Anne cleaned a head wound of his, he explained everything breathlessly, requiring they not tell Pope. Weaver agreed, on the condition if Hal came out a monster, they'd put him down. Tom agreed, and hoped his son would come out the same person he'd gone in as.


	10. Rigmarole

**Author's Note: TO ANYONE WHO DID NOT READ LAST CHAPTERS' A/N, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THIS CHAPTER! BECAUSE I'M NICE, I'LL COPY THE INSTRUCTIONS HERE!**

**To explain the cocoons, go to the 'Espheni cocoons' page on the falling skies wiki. Go down to the area of the page with the pictures, there should be three. The two on the left are pictures of the one Hal is in now -from the show, guys, I took from the source material- and on the right, is the one he was in in the beginning. Basically, if Alexis is in the cocoon, it's present cocoon. If Anne is in it, then it's the one from the beginning of this fic.**

**NOW THAT THAT IS SORTED! THERE WILL BE SOME KOOKY SENTENCES ON HALS' PART, MAINLY BECAUSE HIS BRAIN IS NOT AT FULL CAPACITY WHILE HE'S IN THERE! CALM DOWN NITPICKERS!**

**Thanks to anyone still reading! Reviews are love, and I think I deserve one after writing this with 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion (DON'T LISTEN TO IT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE), because my sister insisted we watch _Titanic_**** (The pain is unbearable) three times, after Sharknado 1 and 2.**

_"Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment." -Mahatma Gandhi_

_"The ultimate choice for a man, in as much as he is given to transcend himself, to create or destroy, to love or to hate." -Eric Fromm_

The air was very humid in the cocoon, the walls moist, with the texture of jello, though there was a firmness Hal couldn't couldn't describe. The cocoon was warm and nurturing, lulling him into a sense of security, the way a child feels in his mothers' arms. The cocoon also took away his sense of time. It was as if he were hibernating, yet he was fully aware of his surroundings. He could sense their thoughts and emotions, and knew where they were in relation to his cocoon. His family was nearby, and he was inside a warm bubble of safety, it was extremely relaxing, and he in fact spent most of his time out of consciousness, despite being aware of where the humans were in relation to him. Humans. He would never be one of them now, for his DNAs were fusing together, creating a whole that was still two halves.

While all this was going on inside his body, his consciousness was focused on his memories. He was reliving every moment of his life, even the ones he shouldn't have been able to remember. He experienced coming out of his mothers' womb for the first time, in the high definition that was his memory. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. His baby self looked up at his mother as she held him, and Hal watched the first five years of his life unfold. They were boring and uneventful in his mind, but seeing his parents' expression and love all over again made him feel more human, a feeling he wanted to experience for as long as he could. He progressed onto his twelfth year of life a little while after, though in the seemingly-unaffected-by-time cocoon, he had no idea how long it had truly taken.

He witnessed himself break his leg -something he'd also do in the years to come- and his mother's expression as she drove him to the hospital made him wonder if Alexis had ever experienced a mother's love, for the Espheni had ruled most of her year-long life. Hal assumed Alexis had also gone over her memories in her cocoon, and she'd chosen to join the Espheni. He and Alexis were both biased, her against the humans, he against the Espheni, the one thing that separated the hybrids from each other. Genetically, they were the same. A whole made of two halves, and it was their opinions, formed by their experiences, that separated them. Whoever said memories make the man is correct.

Hal watched himself grow, feeling the cocoon enter his head. He didn't mind, they shared a mental connection, and he wasn't surprised it was two ways. The cocoon began showing him memories of his gene donor, the Overlord. Watching the Espheni's history unfold brought a new opinion into Hal's mind, and he knew he'd have to make a choice, the most important one of his life.

He intended to make the right one.

**...**

Tom was stretched on a cot, staring at the only light source in the room. The cocoon which held his son, and if he looked close enough, he could make out his son's face. Tom was supposed to be sleeping, but it was hard for him to sleep when one of his sons was like that. Tom rolled over on his cot, leaving him face-to-face with Anne, who was asleep on one of the other three cots, the other two housing Lourdes and Maggie. His other two sons were guarding the door to the room outside while Weaver kept control of the military of Charleston, making sure the soldiers didn't have free time to go exploring: they were sleeping, eating, or working. So that left Tom and Anne alone, and scraps of Tom's last conversation with Hal flitted across his mind, filling himself with guilt.

"Tom, he's going to be fine. Lourdes said Alexis didn't come out any worse for wear." The two of them refrained from mentioning she came out a sociopathic servant of the Espheni whom they'd been forced to kill -they still didn't know if she'd really died, and they couldn't go ask her for clarification- though it was present in their minds. Anne clasped Tom's hand in her own. "He was raised by two amazing human parents. Alexis...she never had that. She was raised by the Espheni. There's no need to worry." Tom did what every logical person did when told those words: worried.

"Anne...we raised the other harnessed children, and they were servants of the Espheni," _Servants with no will, but couldn't they have fought it_. "What if that cocoon injects him with some mind-controlling drug?"

"Then we pump him full of morphine, and hope it works. Past that...give it a few weeks to get it out of his system. As for the kids...they were being controlled by chemicals. It would have been like trying to stay awake after ingesting three bottles of sleeping pills, and forget about the fact they'd have ODed after two bottles." Tom smiled, knowing she, a doctor, would think of that. "He's also a stubborn male barely past his teen years. He'll be fine." Tom chuckled, agreeing with her on the stubborn part.

"Besides, their Skitter-Human hybrid mind-control plan failed. They couldn't erase Jeanne." A pang of grief seared Tom's heart as he recalled the patrol barely three months ago. They'd run into the Skitter-Human hybrid form of Jeanne, who had died saving them from a Skitter. Weaver sat down beside them, setting up a cot of his own.

"Joining the adult sleepover?" Weaver sent Anne a '_Ha-ha'_ glare in reply, which earned him a cheeky grin.

"It's at times like these I regret abiding by the rule of being unable to hit women." Weaver teased, though in his usual deadpan, which made them wonder if he was serious for a second. Only a second.

"I regret the fact there's a rule that says you can't shoot your commanding officer or civilians," Maggie grumbled, irritated by her efforts to sleep were constantly being interrupted.

"Time for some shut-eye." Weaver laid down on his own cot, and he was asleep in a matter of seconds. Anne gave Tom a kiss on the cheek.

"It'll look better in the morning, I promise," Tom closed his eyes, and, in spite of the eery glow cast by the cocoon, fell asleep in seconds.

**...**

Matt had decided to take a stroll around the building, make sure no one was nearby to see anything. Ben had agreed, no doubt expecting nothing as it was midnight. Matt was enjoying the crisp night air, at least until he smashed into someone. Matt looked up to see John Pope standing in front of him. Pope placed a strong hand on Matt's shoulder, keeping Matt in place.

"No one's seen you, your brother, your dad, Maggie, Lourdes, or Anne at all today, ever since that Mech attack. Care to share?" Matt glared up at Pope, wondering why Pope was allowed to be in Charleston. Matt knew of Pope's hatred of the Espheni, and couldn't divulge where they were, otherwise Pope would see his brother's cocoon and kill him, and Matt would not be responsible for his brother's death again.

"I will say this," Matt pulled out his pistol and had it aimed at Pope's genitals, something Mira had said would work because Matt was shorter than most men. "Let go of me or I will shoot."

"Alright, Matteo, easy," Pope released Matt as instructed, slowly backing away with his hands up. "Just a concerned citizen. Point that thing somewhere else." Matt's gun didn't waver, and he was sorely tempted to shoot Pope.

"No, you're not a concerned citizen. You just want to know for the sake of knowing. I promise you, Charleston isn't in danger. Goodbye." Matt hurried away, his gun in its holster. Matt needed to clear his head and he could think of only one person: Mira.

**...**

"Mira," Matt called out softly. She turned, a smile on her face, her hand going towards his cheek. "I need to tell you something." Mira nodded, trying to hide her giddiness. Pope had informed her there was a hybrid, and if anyone knew about it, it would be Tom Mason, who would no doubt tell his sons.

"Tell me anything, Matt, as much or as little as you want," _Preferably as much. We all know what the first hybrid is doing, and we do not need a second_. If it wasn't about the hybrid, then Mira just wanted to console her boyfriend. _I love him, though some things come before others._

"Mira...do you know about the second hybrid?" Mira shook her head, all the while knowing it was a lie. _Lies destroy relationships, but my relationships aren't as important as the safety of Charleston. Aren't they?_ "Well...he's here, in Charleston." The fact he knew which gender meant he knew who the hybrid was, and Mira and Pope had been correct.

"He? You know who it is?" Mira placed her hands on his, trying to get him to go on.

"He's on our side," The way Matt defended it -no matter what human gender it had, anything Espheni was an it to her- before saying who it was, meant Matt was close to it. _His friends? His family? The other hybrid is their family..._ "It's my brother."

"Ben?" Mira was shocked. She'd thought Ben was just harnessed! _How did they get their hands on Ben to do that..._

"No, my other brother. Hal." Mira nodded, and drew him in for a hug. _All I have to do is tell Pope, and Charleston will be safe. Once the hybrid is gone, of course, and Alexis is too._

"I'm sorry, Matt," I truly am, I know how it feels to lose your family. This is simply the way things must be. I hope you'll understand. "Are you sure he's on our side?" Mira doubted it, for the Espheni were master deceivers. Matt narrowed his eyes.

"He's my brother! Of course I'm sure! Wait until he comes out of his cocoon, you'll see!" Matt immediately realized he'd said too much, she could see it on his face. "Goodbye, Mira." He ran off, no doubt to go wherever his brother was. Mira pulled the radio from her pocket.

"Matt's on his way back. The hybrid is Hal, his brother. He's in a cocoon, which means he's stationary. I'll round up my Freedom Fighters." Mira knew Pope would round up his Berserkers, which upon their return to Charleston he had reformed and inducted more members. She knew the Masons, maybe a few others, would be defending the hybrid. Once they saw the numerous Berserkers and Freedom Fighters, they would be given a choice: resist and die, or surrender and live. She'd give only Matt amnesty, though it'd be a shame if she had to kill the rest of his family.


	11. Hamartia

**Author's Note: THIS CHAPTER...WAA! THERE WILL BE CHARACTER DEATHS, AND NO MATTER HOW BAD YOU FEEL READING IT, IMAGINE HOW I FELT WRITING IT!**

**BTWS, has anyone noticed Maggie's 30 and Hal's 21? No? Just me? I find that gross.**

**YES HAL IS KIND OF OOC HERE, BUT THERE'S A REASON! The cocoon attacks the mind, kind of altering it, as it altered Alexis in the show, so Hal um...I can't spoil.**

_"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." -Lao Tzu._

_"Every object is subject to change." -Marcus Tullius Cicero._

It was an interesting choice, as well as a necessary one. This single choice would impact him for the rest of his life, as well as the survival of the human race. In a way, he was lucky. He knew this choice would be important to how he lived the rest of his life. Many people didn't get that knowledge. They walk into the street, not knowing if they hadn't done so, they'd not have been killed by the careless driver.

Free will. Hal's father had often said it was humanity's greatest gift, the ability to control your future, and no one could take it away. Hal's friend had once said the only thing humans controlled was how they got to their predetermined destiny. Hal was beginning to think his friend was right. Hal had certainly been unable to stop his becoming a hybrid, which very much so affected his future. He thought of all the choices and circumstances in the war, and wondered, had one tiny detail changed, would things have been different. Would he have become a hybrid sooner or later? Would he even be a hybrid? Would Alexis? Would humankind have already been wiped out?

It didn't matter, the past was in the past. It was his decision, his alone, to decide how he would affect the future. His hybrid DNA was set, he would be leaving the cocoon. His DNA. Two species', molded together to create something entirely different. He was a one of two of a whole new species. With humans, you could never tell their nature from the start. They were molded by experience, by personality. They were their own unique self. The Espheni were one. They lived only to serve the Overlords, who in turn lived only to become smarter and advanced as species, as well as more powerful. Hal could be one or the other. He could be respected, revered even, by the Espheni. He could command an army so powerful it brought a population of over seven billion to under a million in a few days, possibly little over a week. If he joined the Espheni, humanity's last hope would be gone. If he joined the humans, Hal would have to work for it, but one day he would be trusted by them, treated as one of their own. He would have a family who loved him unconditionally, despite him not being related to them by blood anymore. He would have friends who would never forsake him if he failed, something the Espheni would have no problem with. He would have all that, but no guarantee that humanity would survive.

Could he pick something that might not be there in a few weeks? Or could he pick the Espheni, whom would most definitely be there in a few weeks. It should have been an easy choice. Nature vs. Nurture. Hybrids had no nature, and he had been nurtured as a human. He would have been able to make that choice in a second, but the cocoon was influencing his mind with the Espheni point of view, how the humans could just as easily reject him, but the Espheni would welcome him in their ranks.

Thankfully, he still had time to deliberate, though it seemed it would be quickly cut short.

**...**

Tom was guarding the door when Pope burst into the building, his new Berserkers at his heels. "Tom, I don't want to hurt you. I know Hal's behind that door, I know he's a hybrid, and I know we need to kill him before he comes out like Alexis." Tom shook his head, having full faith his son would come out with his human nature intact.

"Pope, he's different. He was human for twenty-one years, Alexis was raised by the Espheni! Can't we give him the benefit of the doubt? You can stand by the cocoon, and if he comes out less human, you can shoot him!" Tom had been a part of murdering his child before, and he had no intention of doing it again. He had only his faith in Hal's nature, but that was enough for him. Pope shook his head.

"You know they have..._unnatural_ abilities. Besides, he's half Espheni! The same Espheni who killed your wife, gave your son spikes on his back, and turned your daughter into a psychopathic half-breed!" Tom glared at Pope, beginning to wonder how Pope had known Hal was a hybrid.

"He's also half-human, and the most stubborn person I know. He'll come out human." Tom took a step forward, more than willing to fight Pope, and all of his men if necessary, to stop them from harming his son. He was a father, and no matter what DNA changes his children went through, they would always be his children, and he would always protect them with his life.

"Tom, he's your son, you're biased toward him, I get that-"

"I'm biased? You're the one wanting to kill him because he's half Espheni, and for things he hasn't done, and will never do! I'm not the only biased one here!" Tom snapped, fury and adrenaline pumping through his veins with every beat of his heart. He wanted nothing more than to beat Pope to a pulp and the rest of his gang too.

"I'm not biased," A new voice, young and female, entered their argument. Pope's Berserkers parted as a girl glided through their ranks, and Tom's heart fell the moment he saw and recognized her face. The rest of Tom's group -which was no match for the much larger group, as Tom was beginning to realize- had awoken at the shouts and gone outside to see what was going on. They quickly got the gist of the situation, though Matt was affected the worst by it.

"Mira," Matt whispered, a whisper so filled with emotion they could not be distinguished, yet failed to have any effect on the girl in question. "I trusted you, and you betrayed me." Something in her dark eyes flickered, but they resumed their dark glossy unreadable reflection.

"I put the survival of the human race above all else, even any emotions I feel for a member of the opposing party." Her emotionless delivery made Tom's heart ache for his son, and burn with the desire to make her feel the pain his son was experiencing. "I am not biased, and judging by the way Alexis acted, after going into a cocoon...I must agree with Mr. Pope. Alexis was a member of your family, raised by Anne Glass" -the doctor's eyes flashed with the sorrow of failing to save her daughter, which still affected her, and always would- "yet look how she turned out."

"Her childhood was controlled by the Espheni! Hal's was human, pre-war! He won't betray us! And who are you to judge one's loyalty, when you have none of your own!" Mira's eyes flashed, vulnerable and dangerous at the same time. Once again, she masked it.

"I was hoping to avoid this," Mira stated tiredly, then signaled with her hand, summoning a few men to her side. "Restrain them, please, while Mr. Pope takes care of the Espheni inside." Immediately, the smaller group ducked inside the room for cover, with Maggie aiming her gun at the door.

"Anyone comes through this door and I'll shoot them!" Maggie yelled, and there was no doubt in her gaze to discredit her claim. Tom and Weaver began barricading the door with desks and chairs -they were in a school- though that would not last. As Tom was piling more chairs onto the barricade, he realized the light in the room, which came from the cocoon, had turned a bright red. Tom turned to see his son's cocoon no longer the amber he remembered, but a vibrant ruby color, which obscured Tom's vision of Hal. Through a gap in the barricade, Tom saw the door and doorknob were burning whoever touched them.

"Lourdes? What did Alexis' cocoon do as a safety measure?" The change of color, and sudden heat didn't make sense any other way.

"It sent out pulses of heat..." Lourdes caught on, delivering only what Tom needed. Vibrations traveled through the barricade, and Tom saw Pope attempting to kick down the door. The smell of burning rubber filled the air, though no one in Tom's group wavered their guns from where they were trained at the door.

Lourdes was standing on the right side of Hal's cocoon, a pistol in hand, the other running down the side of the cocoon. She was whispering something to it, though Tom could not make out the words themselves. After resting her fingertips on it briefly, she aimed her pistol with two hands at the door.

"You are the bravest and stupidest sons of bitches I know!" Pope yelled, the door rattling as he foot collided with it time after time. "You can still surrender!" Lourdes cried out, and Tom turned to her. She was pointing at the cocoon, the spikes of which were expanding, its surface rippling like water. Pope managed to get the door off its hinges, and his men began working on the makeshift barricade, which would fall within minutes, though anytime their skin touched the objects, a cry of pain could be heard as the skin burned. The Berserkers and Mira's group were almost through the barricade when Hal's voice entered Tom's head._'Surrender. You're not going to be harmed because of me. I will be safe, and I'm far from powerless.'_ Just as quickly as he had come, he was gone. By the expressions on everyone else in the room's faces, they'd heard him too.

"Pope, we surrender you asshole!" Maggie cried as the barricades went down. They dropped their weapons at their feet, and each of Tom's group was guarded by two of the Berserkers. Mira and Pope stood in the middle of the room. Mira reached out to touch Matt's cheek, though he did not react.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, Matt. Fire, Pope." Pope fired not one, but his whole cartridge at where he knew Hal's head to be, slightly sorrowful at what he'd had to do. Despite all their head-butting, he'd liked the kid. Tom couldn't bear to watch, so Pope's curses of frustration and confusion were unexpected by him.

"They just...hit it and fell down. What the-" Pope's hand went to his throat, and he began gasping for breath. As did his men. Far from powerless indeed Hal. Though Tom could stand here, unharmed, watching these men die, and be unable to do a thing. He couldn't allow that. He ran to the cocoon, the walls of which were still red, and unable to be seen through.

"Let them go! Please!" The walls of the cocoon began to change back to amber, and Pope and his men sucked in the breaths of which they had been deprived. Mira, who had been unaffected, was looking at the cocoon, which was back to its passive state. Matt took Mira's hand.

"Mira, let it go." Tom could see it in her eyes that she would not let it go, but something pinned him in place, leaving him as only a spectator as she pulled out her knife and slashed a gash down the front of the cocoon. The cocoon did not change color, nor did she begin choking. She stiffened, as one of the few spikes on the cocoon elongated and stabbed her in the stomach. Matt cried out as she slid off the black spike, leaving a red smear on it. Matt crouched by her side, and one of her loons took aim at the inside of the cocoon, right at Hal's chest. The loon fired, and in a blur Maggie was in front of the hole in the cocoon, taking the bullet with her body and allowing the cocoon to seal itself up. Lourdes ran to Maggie's side as did the rest of Tom's group.

"Out of the way! I didn't want to-" The loon clutched at his head, dropping to his knees as blood flowed out of his nose, at an unnatural rate. His ears soon leaked the red liquid, and the man began screaming for mercy, his whimpers of pain providing punctuation. Tom's eyes widened with shock when gray matter came out with the blood. The man's eyes locked on Tom's filled with terror and a hundred other emotions, but the moment passed too fast for Tom to identify. The eyes turned glassy, and the man crumpled to the ground. There was no need to check for a pulse. _He's dead. I never even knew his name. _

"This is all your fault, Tom! They can't fight the Espheni half! When he comes out, I'm killing him!" Pope yelled, and for a moment Tom agreed with Pope. Then he remembered asking Hal to spare Pope's life, and Pope was still breathing.

"He saved your life! You owe him! We give him one chance to explain all this when he comes out!" Tom was begging for his son's life, and yet was unable to call on his oratory skills to help. No fancy words, nothing but the desperate plea of a father. The struggle was visual on Pope's face, his eyes reflecting the now-amber light of the cocoon.

"One chance, or I will kill him. Just because he didn't kill me." Tom felt an ocean of relief crash onto his shoulders. Pope began ordering his men _"Not to say a damn word or I'll rip off your balls, if you have any"_, and Tom, free of the urgent moment, took in the states of his group members.

Lourdes had her hands pressed on Maggie's neck wound, her fallen tears mixing with her friend's blood. Matt was crying beside Mira, his eyes haunted. Ben stood still, overlooking both bodies. Weaver stood beside him, trying his best to comfort him. Tom rubbed his son's shoulder, and immediately Weaver turned to face Tom. "He better be worth everyone we've lost tonight." Tom cast a rueful glance at the cocoon, which looked as if nothing had transpired, silently hoping they hadn't lost more than they would gain.

**...**

It was so easy to hate the humans, and to be jealous of them. Unfortunately, it was also easy to love them. The variety of the humans was something unique to their species. He had loved Maggie, and she him, and she had died protecting him from her own species. Yet the man who had killed hadn't even felt a twinge of guilt. Though the others, Hal's family, Weaver and Lourdes included, were weeping for her._ Humans really are peculiar. It took until I wasn't one to fully realize that. What's that phrase, you never appreciate something until it's gone?_Well, Hal wanted his humanity back. Then maybe he'd stand a chance.

The cocoon was no longer a safe haven, it had never been, he saw that now. His mind was under attack, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. He knew it was the cocoon's way of turning him to the Espheni side, and Hal was terrified it was working. His emotions had bubbled, rising with that gunshot, and then he'd been unable to control himself. He'd had no idea what he was doing, except for by his father's thoughts and emotions, which said it was bad. He'd somehow managed to stop, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to do it again if the need arose, because he'd likely be doing the bad thing willingly. He was being shown a third person point of view of a select pick of Alexis' memories, and with each one he died a little inside, trying to resist the urge to cry at his helplessness.

His hybrid sister was honing her powers by using them on humans, torturing the humans, to a point where they wanted to die, were willing to sell out their fellow man just to make the end come quicker. Sometimes, she killed them with her mind, other times she'd take them to get mutated into...flying Skitter-like things, and human-Skitter hybrids. The whole torture time, however, she was drinking in their thoughts and emotions, reveling in their pain, which only made her want them to suffer more. Hal was stuck sensing those thoughts and emotions as part of the deluxe torture package, as well as Alexis' voice haunting his mind. _"Humans are pathetic, they were made to be ruled. We are doing them a service, raising them from the excrement they come from. It doesn't matter which one of us dies, for we're exactly alike, Hal, you and I. This our true selves, you know it's true." _It probably _was_ true. During his black-out, he'd gotten a mild sensation of enjoyment, and if it was something bad, it meant she was right.

_I'm just like her. A hybrid, a monster. Nothing can change that. Free will is the best false hope there ever was._

_Or is it? _He had been a human, a fairly good human, for twenty-one years. Could his new DNA eradicate that so quickly? _Don't I have a soul or something?_ Hal had always heard that your past didn't define you, that only your present self did. That took a high place on his Bullshit quotes list. _Your past_ does_define you. Though what you've done isn't the only thing that does, it's what was done to you, how you dealt with it, and how it made you who you were today. My past defines me, and I was a human. I may not be part of humankind, but I do have my humanity left, and I'll be damned if I lose it to my half-sister._ He and the cocoon had a mental link, and once it sensed his mental and physical state was stable, it began pushing him out.

His eyes opened, and he was unaware the irises were amber instead of their usual brown. He turned ninety degrees, the floor suddenly slick, and in under thirty second he was out and dropped onto the ground. He heard a gun pointed at his head, but he was momentarily dazed, and it wasn't his top priority. "Maggie, is she...?" He looked around the room, and saw his girlfriend lying on the ground, blood pooled around her. Then he saw the man who must've been her shooter, dead, his wounds exactly like so many of Alexis' kills. Hal felt sick. "I killed him, didn't I?" _And Maggie. Why did she save me? I'm not worth her losing her life._He closed his eyes, blocking tears.

His physical senses decided to distract him. His hair was fresh-out-of-the-shower damp, his clothes at the same level. He felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "Hal, re-open your eyes." Hal did, though everything was blurry. Looking into his reflection in his dad's corneas, he saw his brown eyes were now flecked with amber. "Hal. Do you remember killing that man?"

Hal shook his head, not wanting to speak with his ragged breathing. _Maggie...you never should've died for me_. "No. I just remember my emotions going haywire, and then I blacked out. I heard someone telling me to stop, and I did." Then Hal found he didn't regret killing the man, he regretted not being able to watch him suffer for killing Maggie._He got off easy compared to what I'd do to him now._ Matt glared at Hal, hatred in his eyes, the same eyes that had once looked to him with love.

"You killed her," Matt glanced down at a girl, and Hal knew his brother had loved the girl. Mira. "You deserve what happened to Maggie. You're a monster." Matt fled the room, possibly expecting his brother to try to kill him. _If I did, he'd deserve it. No, he's my brother, I love him, and I did kill the girl he loved. Though the 'Maggie' comment..._

Pope slung his gun over his shoulder, instead of pointing it at Hal.

"Much as I love family drana, how do we explain this to Madam President, and the rest of Charleston I suppose. We could lie and prove all the crazy conspiracy theorists right."

"That's an excellent question," Tom stood up. _And I don't know how to answer it._

_"__It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot._

_"Our dead are never dead to us until we forget us." -George Eliot._

**Author's Note: See? Personality changes! **

**THERE WILL BE NO HADES SHIPPING UNTIL THE LAST CHAPTER, SINCE I FEEL BAD ABOUT KILLING MAGGIE, AND ALL I'VE DONE/WILL DO TO HIM.**

**So ;).**

**Anyone else hating Ben in S4, he basically told Hal he loves Maggie when Hal thanks him for saving her life, despite seeing his brother crying when he thought she was dying.**

**Maggie's 30, Ben's 17, maybe 18.**

**I can take a nine year (Hal) difference, but 12/13 is a no-no.**


	12. Careful What You Wish For

**Author's****Note: Most of this is just brotherly emotions, and Ben is a major character in this chapter as well as the rest of the fic. I tried to make him more S3, as S4 Ben is just being an annoying twerp right now. He wants to date his brother's girlfriend That is _not_ okay in my book.**

**And now I'm confused about Maggie's age, on the wiki, it says 30, and I'm really very confused on that.**

**And also, the Alexis character in the show is annoying too. Either give her character development or kill her, because I hate her.**

**And Maggie's kinda annoying. Anne's kinda back to her old self, which I love. And Hal...he's still himself, which is just awesome. EVEN THE SHOWRITERS WHO ARE SCREWING UP EVERYONE CAN'T SCREW HIM UP!**

_"Confession is always weakness. The _

_grave soul keeps its own secrets and takes its own punishment in silence." -Dorothy Dix._

_"Only solitary men know the full joys of friendship. Others have their family; but to a solitary and an exile his friends are everything." -Warren G. Harding._

It was just Weaver, Tom, Pope, Hal, and Ben standing around a table, trying to decide how and if to break the news. Five people, none of them holding a high place in the civilian government, and yet they were deciding how much the public would know. "I think we should tell only Marina." Tom had no idea how anyone else would react to discovering there was another hybrid, in fact he had no idea how Marina would react, but at least she would listen to him before making a decision. Hal and Ben didn't immediately side with their father as they once would have, each was waiting to hear all the ideas and scoping out what they thought was best.

"I vote we don't tell anyone. We do have a mole after all." Pope was famous -_in_famous to some- for his paranoia, though to be fair it had paid off of a few occasions. Everyone alive after the invasion had paranoia, though not all to Pope's degree. Pope dipped his head to Tom, respecting the other's opinion while not believing in it.

"I vote we tell only a few in the military, a trusted few. We need a secret weapon, and we can't have him getting shot by our own men." Hal was grateful for not being called an _'it'_, though Weaver didn't know it. "Ben? Hal? Any ideas?" Both brothers exchanged a look, agreeing on a decision silently, also allowing Ben to deliver their idea.

"We vote for telling Marina and a few in the military." Weaver changed his vote, as did Tom. Pope sighed in defeat.

"I'm outnumbered anyway so what the hell. I'll vote for that too. Great, unanimous decision and all that. Who's doing the explaining? And who in the military will we be telling?" It was Tom and Weaver's turn to exchange a look.

"Anthony for sure, and Denny," Tom began, and it was clear on his face he was thinking of who they could trust that didn't already know. "Hmm...give us time to think on that." Pope smirked, a smirk that did not go away with Ben's glare.

"Dad, you can go tell Marina. Weaver can do Anthony and Denny. Pope...you can go get drunk or whatever it is you do all day." Tom inclined his head to his sons before exiting the room. Weaver followed Tom, but Pope turned and faced the remaining Masons, mock offense on his face.

"I actually contribute to this war," Pope stumbled around pretending to be drunk. "Doing stuff and things, despite the popular belief otherwise." Pope straightened up, defiance in his angered eyes. "And don't think for one second I'll take orders from either of you." Ben narrowed his own eyes, never having liked Pope much, and this little routine wasn't endearing.

"You will if they make sense," Pope chuckled, as if they were a dog that had done something amusing.

"I like you three. You have stones." With that, Pope took his leave, and only the two older Mason brothers remained.

"I bet he's going to get drunk," Ben referred to his brother's earlier comment, earning him a snort from his older sibling.

"You're the smart one, I'm agreeing with you." Ben forced a half-smile at the attempt to ease things into the way they used to be. _It can't be like that. This is now, and so much has changed... _"Anything you want to talk about?" _Maybe it can be like it used to be._

"Yes. Us. You. Me. We're brothers, so why do I feel like I barely know you?" It may have been blunt, but it was the truth. It needed to be discussed, because Ben wanted their relationship back, most importantly, his brother back. And Ben knew better than most what is was like to have the Espheni screw with your body and mind.

"I'm fine, Ben. I'm me. You, on the other hand...everything okay? Everything okay with Denny?" Ben let out a breath, not elated at having to start a heart-to-heart with his brother, which would be about as easy as getting a herd of ADD cats to get into one room.

"Hal, Denny and I have been busy, though we're still together," _But it's strained and I really need to talk to her. _Ben took his mind off that, focusing on the task at hand. "You know, Hal, to talk, you have to use words."

"I'm sorry, was I using my mouth to do sign language instead of English?" Hal retorted sarcastically. "I'm fine, you just can't get it through your head that I'm not fine. You're the one who's been fighting a war for ten months. Should I apologize for being worried about my younger brother?"

"Should I apologize for being worried about my brother? Older or younger, you're still my brother, and I worry about you just as much as Matt. Considering you're now a whole new species, I'm worried about you!" Ben's voice rose as he became more desperate to make his brother understand. Surprisingly, his thick-skulled brother got something through his head. _See? The dumb jock can learn._

"I'm sorry for worrying you, even though I'm fine. Big brother always is. Somehow it's species-ist to assume I'm not fine because I became something entirely different genetically." Ben didn't immediately pick up on it, but his brother was redirecting the conversation via humor.

"Speciesist is actually a word, though it normally means humans think themselves are better, which is true in most cases. And how is that speciesist? You still have a human psyche."

"I did say it's a work in progress, and thank you Wikipedia for giving me the definition." Ben rolled his eyes at hearing his childhood nickname used, something that seemed out of place, at the same time fitting perfectly.

"It'd actually be Wikitionary," Ben corrected, earning an eyeroll -obviously the #1 form of communication for the brothers- from his brother.

"Now you're autocorrect." Hal muttered, beating back a determined smile.

"I'm sorry, I think you meant 'Now you're an aunt net'." Ben didn't bother trying to fight off his smile. _This...this is what I've missed these past months. No way am I ever going to let him die again._

"This is why everyone hates autocorrect."

"But I'm lovable, so cute and cuddly!" Ben put on a fake pout, which sent he and his brother into an uproar of shared laughter.

"You're also very annoying, especially as a little brother." Ben took that as a compliment. When he was younger, he had gotten quite good at it whenever he needed to get back at his brother.

"Hey, I wasn't as bad as 2-year-old Matt."

"He wanted to do everything I did, he said you were too boring. I remember when I was practicing for soccer, and he nagged me so much I almost intentionally kicked it at him." Recalling the fond-in-a-weird way memories they shared was helping mend their bridge, but far from fully repairing it.

"I sent him out there to do that." Ben admitted, thinking it was time to confess ten years later. Hal shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Water under the bridge, right? So, how's Denny? Am I gonna be an uncle anytime soon?" Ben tried to swat his brother on the shoulder, but his brother ducked.

"You wish. In two years, when we're nineteen, and if we're together...maybe. I might even make you a godfather." Ben immediately regretting saying that last word. "Please don't-"

"'Do you spend time with your family?" Hal asked in a Italian accent that would have probably insulted any Italian.

"Oh, come on, Hal-"

"'Good. Because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.'" Ben let out a sigh of relief. _My torture has ended early. Too early. _"'Act like a real man!'"

"You make an awful Don Corleone. That's his name, right?" Ben had never been a fan of the Godfather movies, unlike his older brother.

"You're not a true American, Ben," Hal placed a hand on Ben's shoulder, mock-comforting his brother.

"They're about an Italian mob! How does that make me not an American?" Ben couldn't find his older brother's logic, something that had happened many times before.

"American classics. Teach you to respect your family and elders. Good morales, like Aesop's fables for more mature people." Ben slammed the palm of his hand to his face.

"Yes, it also teaches you it's a-okay to kill people for money and favors! Great morales!" Ben exclaimed sarcastically with mock enthusiasm. He was sure Hal, the king of sarcasm, had picked up on the sarcasm, but Hal ignored it just like he had his Math teachers in high school.

"Now you see."

"You are too stupid to reason with." It was yet another retort from their childhood days, out of place, and still fitting in.

"Pssh. Who needs logic when you have a gun?"

"This is why gun control laws existed." Ben felt the mood dim with the mention of days past. Just like that, their brief break from reality slammed to a stop.

"Well, it didn't lower crime rates. Only made criminal have easier targets who couldn't really fight back. We also wouldn't have lost as many people as we did if we had guns." Hal reminisced over his memories of the days during the invasion, none of them pleasant.

"Too late to change the past," _But oh how I wish I could_. An image of a pink Nike shoe flashed across Ben's mind.

"We can -and will- change the future. The Espheni won't wipe out humanity. _We_ won't allow it. _I_ won't allow it."

"I'm sure they'll ask your permission," Ben muttered sarcastically. Hal sighed.

"Ben, the Espheni are a hierarchy. Take out the leaders, the privates are lost and confused. I can kill Alexis, and when their forces come here...we'll be ready."

"You think we can take them?" Ben would fight to the death, but the odds were not in their favor, which probably disappointed Effie.

"I do. Cut off the head, the body collapses." Ben would ask about how to cut the head, but he would not talk about that while trying to restore his bond with his brother.

"You don't have to do it alone. I can help you kill Alexis." Ben knew from experience suffering with others was easier, and killing your half-sister -_though given the new information, genetically she technically isn't my half-sister_- was one of the harder things.

"Ben, she'd just take control of you through your spikes. Anyone else she'd kill. Realistically, I'm your only chance." Hal wasn't proud of that, of what he would have to do, and what had happened to him in order to get him there, but he would do what he was made for. He shouldn't have been alive, much less a species that wasn't naturally made -_who'd sleep with a Fish-head?_- so it seemed to him he should do what he was born for: kill his sister.

"You and Dad are so alike!" Ben's emotions suddenly flooded out, like a dam falling down. "Always willing to sacrifice yourselves, never thinking that we might be able to help you! That you might live if we do!"

"So what if _I_ live? What about _you_! Lately everyone who helps me seems to die! Sonrisa, Miracolina, and now Maggie! You don't stand a chance against Alexis, Ben, but I do! I can't risk you getting hurt trying to help me!"

"You're the one who told Dad we take risks as a family! You're my brother, that makes you family! I'm not going to let anyone, or anything, hurt you, much less kill you!" Ben was infuriated, unwilling to lose his brother again.

Hal hated to play this card, a card of genetic technicalities, but he'd be damned if he'd allow his brother to be hurt. _I'm willing to sacrifice my relationship with him to keep him safe_. "We're not family! I'm a whole different species, Ben. You owe me nothing. I owe you everything for not killing me when you first met me."

"Hal, I owe you too! You saved me from the Espheni when I was harnessed, and I couldn't save you from the eyeworm! You blew yourself up to save us! And screw genetics! Family doesn't end with blood! Lourdes is just as much family as Matt!" Ben's heart was breaking for an unknown reason, and he just wanted to collapse into his brother's arms, cry, and have Hal tell him it'd be alright. Tears leaked from his eyes, possibly from anger or sadness or both.

"Ben...I don't want you to get hurt. You're my little brother, I look after you. There is only one thing I would put above family: the survival of the human race. And Alexis could kill you, and I can't allow that, Ben. I don't know what I'd do if that happened. I'd probably go on a psychopathic rampage like I did after Maggie died. I can't allow that, either. So I'm gonna keep you alive, no matter how many stupid things you do, or how irritating you get. Suck it up and deal with it." Ben wanted to hug his brother at that moment, despite his over-protectiveness.

"I've been in a war these past four years. You can't protect me from everything. Your fight with Alexis is just as much mine." Ben swallowed, fighting his way through his next few words. "Did you know when I first woke up in Chinatown, she told me you were all dead? For a moment, I believed her. I gave up on you. Yet you came and..." Ben'd voice broke off, raw. "I thought you were going to die there, and all I could do was think about cruel irony. I gave up on you, Dad, Matt, everyone, and I almost trusted Alexis. Out of every sin I've committed in my life, that's my greatest one. I have to make it up to you. Let me help you, please. I can't lose you all again."

"I don't want to fight Alexis alone, I really don't. God's honest truth. But I will, because if you all joined me...she'd almost certainly kill you, and I probably couldn't save you all, if any. Ben, my family is the only thing keeping me human, otherwise I'm just like Alexis. I won't be her, I don't want to. And I will not lose my family. I _can't_ allow that. As for the Chinatown thing...anyone else would've done the same." Ben hugged his brother tightly, tears flowing dow his cheeks.

"Promise me you won't let her kill you," _I'm still going to be there, no matter what you say. I'm sorry, but I have to. I hope you'll understand._

"I promise, Ben." Ben knew his older brother would keep his promise, and Ben intended to keep his own promise to keep his family safe. Ben relented on the hug, drying his eyes.

"Want to check the perimeter?" His voice still held traces of the emotions that had been so raw only moments before, but hopefully they would be gone before they spoke to anyone else.

"Sure,"Hal's voice held the same emotional traces Ben's did, and he too was drying his eyes. Little did Hal know, Ben was hoping they'd see Alexis so he would have an excuse to be there. As they checked the perimeter, Ben found excuses to check the woods, deeper than most border patrols. The cracking of leaves beneath their feet gave the forest, under the blanket of dusk, an eery feel. Suddenly, a white-haired young woman in a red dress appeared before them.

"Be careful what you wish for," Their half-sister said in a sing-song voice. As both brothers looked on her in surprise, they failed to notice one important thing.

Ben's spikes were glowing blue.

**A/N: As a Texan, I was so tempted to write "Y'all". And sorry if the brothers are OOC, but they have been through my trilogy.**

**Reviews are love, and hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Tender Is The Night

**Author's Note: ****I hope you liked my little cliffy! And yes, the hybrid battle has come, with Ben in it too, which actually is a disadvantage to Hal. Anyway, please review (I'm aiming for at least nine reviews total by the end of this fic), and once this fic is completed, expect a...umm...during-the-invasion-pre-series fic. A...DtIPS.**

**Also...anyone noticed how Alexis and Hal are linked together, so what if the Overlord could link himself to them?**

* * *

**_Hybrid Powers:_**

_Superhuman senses._

_Superhuman strength._

_Superhuman stamina._

_Superhuman regeneration._

_Empathy._

_Telepathy._

_Weather Manipulation/Atmokinesis._

_Telekinesis._

_Biokinesis._

* * *

_"There are no easy answers, but there are simple ones. We must have courage to do what is morally right." -Ronald Reagan._

_"From the deadliest desires often come the deepest hate." -Socrates. _

* * *

Hal's adrenaline was pumping, sending all his abilities into overdrive. He sensed his brother -no doubt under Alexis' control- try to punch him. Hal dodged, his main goal to get Alexis out of Ben's head. _If I can get get her out, I'm strong enough to keep her out. But I'm not trained enough to get her out myself, which means I need a blunt object to hit her on the head with_. He took a few steps back from his brother, unwilling to hurt him even if his brother was trying to kill him. _Family reunions, gotta love 'em._ Of course Ben wasn't his only problem. Alexis was there too, and she used her telekinesis to send him flying into a tree.

Hal fought to get to his feet, and managed to do so. Until his brother punched him across the face and sent him sprawling onto the ground again. _Alright, screw this_. In a flash, Hal extended his arm towards his brother, causing a telekinetic wave that pinned Ben against a tree. Hal focused on keeping Ben there, also trying to forsee Alexis' attacks. He sensed the storm swirling above, the electricity gathering in the air. It wasn't hard to figure out what Alexis' next attack would be. Still, Hal had at least a few precious seconds before she attacked, and he planned to use them. He tackled her to the ground, and slammed her head against the ground. He rolled off her, uncomfortable at being on top of his half-sister. _If I die at least I'll be chivalrous._ Alexis, despite being dizzy from her head wound, managed to summon a lightning bolt, its sights set on Hal. Hal waited until it was a few feet away from him before redirecting it towards Alexis.

It hit Alexis, who was just starting to sit up. Thankfully, her wounds caused her to lose her control over Ben. Hal placed a mental shield on his brothers' mind, making Alexis unable to take him over again. Ben was dazed, but quickly took in his surroundings and realized what had happened. Before they could plan a strategy, or communicate at all really, Alexis stood up, her unnaturally gray -_weren't they blue before?_- eyes ablaze. "You think _that_ could kill me?" _Considering 'that' was a lightning bolt, yes!_

"I struck you with _lightning_! Tell me that did _something_." Alexis shook her head, a sadistic expression filling her face. She struck her hand out toward Ben, who clutched at his stomach, obviously suffering an internal attack. _No one touches my brother, especially not a bitch like you_. Hal channeled his hatred and rage towards Alexis, and it came out in a blast of telekinetic energy that hit her square in the chest. Ben doubled over, wheezing, and a surge of protectiveness flooded over Hal.

Alexis scrambled to her feet, and screamed out all her rage, her out-of-control emotions causing winds to brew up around them, branches to fall off of trees and try to hit Hal and Ben, and a blur of images and emotions completely overriding Hal's mental functions. Thankfully Ben managed to hit Alexis with a rock, so the barrage of images and emotions stopped, and Hal was able to think again. Alexis had blood trickling down the side of her head, but other than that she seemed fine. _Wow. We're hard to kill without guns_._ I wish Ben had a second gun...he_ is_, or _should_ be at least_. Alexis had telekinetically thrown Ben's main weapon into the woods, but it was standard practice to carry at least two guns, at the very least a knife for combat.

"Ben, do you have your-" Hal was suddenly unable to breathe, and Ben was flung away like a rag doll, and did not get up when his head slammed into a rock. His fury took over, and all he could see was Alexis' blood on the forest floor. Immediately, he could breathe again, and Alexis began coughing up blood. The scarlet liquid began streaming from her eyes and ears, and even though her gray eyes were pleading, he didn't stop killing her.

_'They don't care about us. They just want us to help them annihilate the human race. W_e _make it easier because we look human, and_ _we can preach peace to those who are destined to die_. _I want them to pay as much as you do, just let me live.'_ Hal couldn't tell, or especially care if she was being sincere, and the only time he even allowed the notion to flit across his mind was after she dropped to the ground dead. _Can it really be that easy to kill her? _Hal hurried to his brothers' side, relieved to find a pulse, and did a quick biokinetic scan, sensing no internal bleeding or other possibly fatal problems.

He scooped his brother up easily, and summoned his brothers' gun to his hand, knowing Ben would want it when he woke up. He began to make his way back to camp, having a sense of being followed. _I might actually come out of this whole thing more paranoid than Pope. _Once he saw the outline of Charleston against the setting sun, he wanted to faint. A few feet from being inside the perimeter, he felt something enter his mind, then he dropped into blackness.

* * *

"We found them outside the perimeter!" The sentry was out of breath and very nervous as he reported to a doctor and an _extremely_ unhappy father. Anne narrowed her eyes, expecting more. Tom's mind filled with all the possible scenario that could've happened, and suddenly he wanted to wrap his sons in bubble wrap and lock them in a room until the war was over. _Unfortunately, I can't do that. If I tried, they'd just break out somehow_. Anne and the sentry shared another exchange before she dismissed the sentry.

"I looked Ben over earlier, and it looked like a normal head injury, but..." Tom hated _buts_, mainly because almost always nothing good came after them. "I think he and Hal are...I can't find a word for it. But when we first got them, Hal's pulse spiked, and Ben's increased too, even though they were both stabilized, and they shouldn't have done it. And the Espheni _can_ get into the minds of once-harnessed kids, and I'm very sure they could talk to Hal. They talked to Alexis."

"So an Espheni is keeping them under? Talking to them and...no doubt trying to get them on his side. And we can't talk to them because they won't hear us because they're unconscious!" To Tom, it was torture. Having his sons so close, and being unable to do a thing stop the Espheni from doing whatever he wanted in their minds. "Can we do _anything_?" Anne's face flooded with sympathy, though she shook her head.

"All we can do is wait," Anne wrapped her arms around him, though even she could not soothe Tom fully. These were his sons, he had to protect them, and he was helpless, only able to wait and hope for the best. _Paternal Hell_. A guard ran down the hallway, stopping in front of them, causing Anne to release Tom.

"We found Alexis' body out in the woods near where we found them." Tom and Anne shared a look, both having similar theories to what had happened. "We're bringing it in now."

"I'll do the autopsy," Anne stated quickly, and the guard nodded, taking off again. Tom turned to his wife.

"Anne, are you sure you want to do the autopsy? She is-_was_ your daughter." Tom had to correct himself on Alexis' state, some small part of his brain considering her unable to be killed. A small part, a very, very small part of his brain.

"Tom, if anything, that means I need to do it more. Another doctor might mess it up because they hated her. I'm not saying I wasn't angry at her, but...I'd never desecrate a body." Tom nodded, feeling no need to press Anne anymore. "And if by miracle there's something in there that helps Ben and Hal, I want to find it." Tom embraced her, hoping and praying that there was something in there that could help.

They needed a miracle.

* * *

**Author's Note: What's the #1, never-failing, turning-people-to-your-side technique? Brain-washing!**

**Hehehe we're having fun next chapter...**

**Also, next chapter is called 'Do You Believe in Miracles?'**


	14. Do You Believe in Miracles?

**Author's Note: Ahh, to my fellow Supernatural fans out there, this title...hurts so bad.**

**And I'll say this: the Overlord is very persistent.**

* * *

_"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven." - John Milton, Paradise Lost._

_"Sometimes calling people out of the darkness means going in after them." -N. Paul Williams._

* * *

Hal was in hell. Not in the Christian sense of the word, but hell nonetheless. Normally, being trapped in his own mind wouldn't be as terrible as it was now, certainly far more preferable to that alternate reality. But this wasn't normal, at all. He had an Overlord pawing through his memories, and trying to get him on his side. Why? Hal had no idea. As the Overlord said: _'They protect you only because they need you to win the war. I do not need you, but still I'm trying to bring you to the right side. I'm trying to show you the way the humans truly are. I, and I alone, truly care for you.'_ Honestly, Hal was trying not to trust the Overlord, but at the same time, the Overlord _was_ making sense. _My family loves me, and I love them. That's why...I think_.

"_Hal?_ Is that you?" His brother's voice sent all other thoughts away. Immediately, he had to know his brother was okay, everything else could wait.

"Ben!" Hal hugged his brother, thankful for not being alone anymore. "What are you seeing?" Hal saw a flat ground that felt like marble, and the sky was a collage of memories of his life. Whenever the Overlord wanted to show him a specific memory, everything melted away as Hal relived whatever memory the Overlord selected. He hoped Ben wasn't seeing all his memories, otherwise his brother would know much more about Hal than Hal was comfortable with.

"Everything is gray. Gray ground, gray sky. Nothing else. Except for you. You and I are in color. Where are we?" Ben cast a glance around, as if something new would appear to tell him where they were. That something happened to be Hal.

"You're in my head," That was the simplest answer Hal could give, and he didn't know why or how Ben was in his head. _I assume the Overlord knows, however_. _He knows everything_.

"That explains why everything's gray. No brain activity." They both laughed at Ben's joke, though it was somewhat forced, given the seriousness of the situation. _Actually, it's gray because you're a foreigner therefore you can't see what I'm seeing. Maybe if I let you. Or the Overlord does_. Hal could've told Ben that, but of all the things he was, a kill-joy wasn't one of them. "Any idea why we're here? Or how to get out?"

"I think the Overlord put me here, and you...I think you're accidentally here. Or maybe he's trying to recruit us both. I don't know." _I also don't really care. I'm tired of being fought over like a freaking bone between two dogs. I just want the recruitment efforts to stop, so I can think_. Surprisingly, the Overlord -_Patri, _whatever_ he calls himself_- didn't buzz in with a recruitment speech.

"It doesn't matter why we're here. We just have to get out." Ben looked around, possibly looking for a magical exit sign or ladder. "This is _your_ mind. Can't you get us out of it?"

"I would, I really would, but the Overlord is running the show." _Which I'm glad for in a way. I'm a mess right now. Half of me wants to stay with the humans, half of me wants to side with the Espheni. I feel like a schizophrenic arguing with the voices in their head, except the voices aren't other personalities, they're me. _

"Kick him out. It's_ your_ head!" _I probably could if my mind weren't fighting itself. _"You can kick him out? Hal, you can't let him screw with your head." _Gee, you really think I wanted him to? Though the other half of me thinks he's enlightening me. _

"I can't. I'm split into two. Half of me likes him, the other half hates him." Hal hated admitting his weakness to his brother, because big brothers were supposed to be invincible. He was failing as a hybrid, as a fighter of the 2nd Mass, as an Espheni ally (courtesy of his schism), and now big brother. _What else?_

"Hal, you can read memories, right?" Hal nodded, confused by the oddness of that question. Given what they had just been talking about, it was off-topic, and Ben rarely went off topic. Ben closed his eyes. "Read the memories I'm think of, right now." Hal complied, and immediately the world melted away. He was standing in Ben's memory, next to memory Ben. Not that memory Ben could see him. It only took Hal a second to place where it was. The hospital where Ben had been rescued, when Ben woke up right before Hal could kill the Skitter. Hal watched the scene unfold, and wondered why Ben had shown him it.

The image flicked to another one. A memory Hal would really rather forget. It was when Karen had capture them, and was electrocuting his father and Weaver. She proceeded as it had happened before, kissing Hal, secretly implanting an eyeworm. Threatening a pregnant Anne, only to have Tom confess. Right when the rebel Skitters appeared, the memory changed for the last time.

This one was before the war. It was a memory when both brothers were younger, and closer, closer than they were in their teen years. Their mother was pregnant with Matt, and to celebrate the good news, their father had taken the day off and spent it at the park with them. With the infinite energy little children seemed to possess, they'd spent most of the day playing together. Just seeing the family, together (for the most part, as Matt wasn't born), and happy warmed Hal's heart. The memory passed to quickly, and soon they were back in Hal's mind.

"We were lucky enough to be older during the invasion," Ben said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Other families had younger children. The Espheni killed all those people. We didn't attack them, they attacked _us_. They eliminated 98% of the world's population. They didn't care about us, they wanted our world, our resources. Only when we fought back did they want to mutate us into their soldiers. The same with you."

_'I only want you to be on the right side.'_ Hal shook his head, trying to get the Overlord out of his head. _'Why trust a brother who once left with Karen, the girl who betrayed you all so many times?' Why trust the Overlord who she worked for? 'She was not mine to command, that fell to my aggressive brother.'_

"Hal? Is he saying something to you?" Hal nodded, trying to listen to both voices at once. _'I am a father who cares for my children. The humans will only harm you. We will keep you safe. We want only the best for you.'_ "What's he saying?"

"I'm his child, and he loves me and wants to protect me." Hal filled his voice with scorn, but there was a flicker of doubt in his heart. _The Espheni must have parents, so they must have some form of relationships. Are children so far-fetched? Is it possible they love them?_ It became clear to Hal they knew almost nothing about the Espheni, their culture._ Maybe this was is just a big misunderstanding. Must be quite a big misunderstanding. Listen to Ben. _

"Biggest pile of BS I've ever heard." Ben chuckled, and Hal suddenly realized why he wasn't voicing both sides his true inner thoughts: Ben. It had been drilled into his head practically since the day he was born: protect your brothers. As a kid, he hadn't fully understood what it could mean, but he upheld it. As a teen, he put a few other things behind it, but a few bullies snagged his attention. As an adult, it was a major part of the code he lived by. It was a part of him, so ingrained into him it could never be removed.

He had to protect his brothers. From humans, from aliens, from anything that would try to hurt them. He may not always succeed, but he could try. And he could best protect his brother from the human side. _Sorry, Overlord, they're my family_. He knew that was true. Family was the people you loved and they loved you back. They were the people who never abandoned you, and he wasn't about to abandon his family. Fully in control of his mind, he knew exactly how to send Ben and himself back to consciousness, though first he needed one thing. "Ben, you trust me, right?"

"Of course." There was no uncertainty, no hesitancy in the answer. Just honesty and trust. "Why?"

"Trust me. I'll be right behind you." Hal pressed his hand to his brothers' forehead, and his brother disappeared back to the land of the living. Hal remained a little while, he had one thing left to take care of.

* * *

It was Ben who woke up first, then Hal. Tom had been holding their hands, praying fervently for both of them to wake up. It had happened right as he finished. First Ben, then Hal. The first word that came to Tom's mind was: _miracle_. Then joy overtook thought and Tom hugged them both, content never to let go. Both brothers squirmed their way out of their fathers' embrace, though secretly they too would've been content to stay safe in their fathers' arms forever.

"What happened?" Hal and Ben shared a look, and Ben answered quickly: "I don't know, I just have a strange aversion to the color gray." Hal shrugged, on the sly giving his brother a grateful wink.

"Ben pretty much said it all." Tom wasn't convinced they were being 100% honest, but he didn't care. They were his sons, they were with him, that was enough. "Although I do want to go for a walk." Tom cocked his head in confusion, staring into Hal's face. Tom was no doctor, but it was a reasonable assumption that people who collapsed and stayed unconscious for 28 hours and 27 minutes -Tom had counted every minute- didn't go for walks immediately afterward. Then again, most patients weren't hybrids.

"You feeling okay? You don't need to rest?" Tom was worried about both his sons, because neither of them were acting normal. Ben was directing his attention to a corner of the room, like he were afraid to say the wrong thing. Hal was trying to get out of the room as soon as possible. It was a fathers' sense, most people would assume they'd gone through something awkward together, but Tom felt it was more than that. Hal nodded, and Tom sighed. It wasn't like he could tell Hal _'No, because you and Ben are acting weird'. _"Alright, then." As his son left, Tom wondered if the 'miracle' was truly a 'miracle'.

* * *

His breath formed clouds in the air as he paced around in the forest clearing. He was committing treason of the highest order, the guilty sentence being death, even though it would likely safe them all from extinction by the Espheni. His super-senses told him the Overlord had arrived. The Overlord who called himself 'Father'. _To be fair, he_ is _half of my DNA_. Hal inclined his head in respect to Patri, as the Overlord called himself.

_'You called me, and I have come.'_ Hal knew the Overlords preferred to talk mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart, so he did so too.

_Thank you for coming. I see what you have said, it makes sense. I have a proposition for you_.

_'You would never call me on nothing. I am interested in this proposition of yours.'_

_Do not attack the humans here. Enough of them believed in Alexis, and their beliefs are spreading. The rest I can win over. I will convince them to lay down their arms, and they will go peacefully into their new future_.

_'You are sure you can convince them?'_ The Overlord, Patri, wanted facts, not just Hal's opinion.

_Yes. Enough of them believed in a Messiah before the invasion_.

_'That is all you ask?'_ Hal knew Patri could sense his other request.

_No. I ask you train me to control my abilities. Independent study is harder than it seems._

_'All children rely on their parents sometime or another. Very well. I agree. Meet me here in seven of your days, and I will train you. When this war is over, I will take you to my home planet, and you will become even more powerful.'_ Hal inclined his head once more, and the Overlord departed, having no more reason to stay so close to Charleston. Hal knew he had made a deal with the devil, and hoped most everyone would come out unscathed.


	15. When the Winter Wind Blows

**Author's Note: ****I started school today, and had to bake/ice/decorate my cake, so I was busy busy busy! And will be busy busy busy!**

**Hopefully this'll satiate you, at least until I update again!**

* * *

Matt was dozing off, struggling to keep his eyes open, his mind awake. He had made it his job to keep his dad and Ben safe, to make sure what happened to Mira didn't happen to them. _Mira, you were right. I should never have trusted him. I wish I had listened to you, then maybe...maybe you'd still be here_. Matt rubbed his eyes, hoping that would keep him awake and alert for at least another half hour. He heard the door open, and recognized the entering figure to be his oldest brother. Matt immediately raised his gun, pointing it at Hal's heart. Hal put his hands up, reminding Matt of how criminals did it when the cops had them in their headlights and they had nowhere to run.

"Matt, I'm just here to get some sleep. I'm sorry if I scared you." _What you should really be sorry for is killing my girlfriend_. "Actually, if now isn't a bad time, and you put the gun down, I'd like to talk to you." Matt lowered his gun, hand resting over where his knife lay in his pockets. _I'll listen to whatever bull excuse you can come up with._

"What do you want to talk about?" Matt was hostile, and he let it show in his tone. He knew exactly what his brother wanted to talk about, and he also knew he'd never forgive his brother for it.

"Mira. Her death. I know you blame me. I just need to explain it to you." _Explain how you were powerless to stop your cocoon from killing her? Baffle me with your bull_. "All I knew is that I was threatened, and the cocoon picked up on it. Its primary purpose was to protect me, and it did so. I'm sorry Mira died, I am, but staying mad at me won't bring her back or make you any happier."

"Why do you care about my happiness?" _You clearly didn't when you killed Mira. I loved her. She made me happy. Yet still you killed her._

"Matt, I'm still your brother. I love you and I want what's best for you, for you to be happy. Nothing will ever change that." There was something in his brother's dark brown eyes -that were now permanently flecked with amber from his time in the cocoon- that was begging him for the reassurance that they were still brothers. Despite the desperation in his brother's eyes, Matt couldn't give it.

"Genetics made us brothers, that no longer tethers us. As for the bond of brothers...you've been gone ten months, you come back and murder my girlfriend. That doesn't scream 'brotherly love' to me." Matt's voice was cold as the Arctic wind, and the effect of his words on his brother showed through Hal's eyes and facial expression.

"What? When I became a hybrid did everything I do before get erased? I'm still Hal Mason, and I'm still a part of this family. I'm still your brother." Hal looked down, an intense sadness coming over him. His next words came out as a barely audible whisper, one filled with the emotions of a man trying affirm something in his mind he didn't truly believe. "I'm still a part of this family...right?" Matt resisted the urge to break down and tell his brother what he'd done the past ten months. He'd found the ripstick his brother had given him, and he'd checked on that thing every day, keeping it in pristine condition. It had been one of his precious few memoriams of Hal and he had no intentions of letting it decay. Matt gave in to his urge, though it was too late.

"Hal-"

"Matt, you've said enough," Hal cut him off, obviously expecting Matt to have another harsh statement to deliver. "Thank you for having the decency to be honest about it." Hal left, before Matt could admit he hadn't been fully honest with Hal or himself.

* * *

Ben sat next to Denny, coughing awkwardly as he scrambled to figure out what to say. _'Sorry I've been so frosty lately, want to get back together? I love you'?_. _Uh, no, she'd kick my ass_. Ben decided to improvise, since it couldn't be any worse than the ideas running through his head. "Denny, I know I haven't been the best boyfriend these past few months, and I wanted to apologize, I guess I just-"

"Was so busy grieving for your dead family member that you were a little neglectful of your girlfriend, and when she got a little mad about it you got a little mad? It's okay, Benji, we were both being stupid." Denny kissed him softly and quickly on the lips to prove her point. "I think we both forgive each other." She clearly wasn't going to allow debate, and Ben hadn't planned on doing so. He'd gotten off far more lightly than he deserved. "So, what should we do as our make-up date?"

"You know, I didn't really think about that. I figured you'd slap me, and walk off. Then tomorrow you'd kiss me and we'd make up." Denny chuckled, fixing her gaze at the stars.

"It's never too late for me to slap you." Denny warned, and Ben rolled his eyes, knowing she'd never do it. Probably.

"You couldn't bring yourself to hurt this adorable thing, could you?" Ben pulled his cutest puppy-dog eyes expression, and Denny laughed, a light, carefree laugh, a beautiful sound to ears that were used to gunfire and shouts. _It's been forever since I head her laugh like that_. Everyone looked forward to the end of the war, but the reason why Ben looked forward to it most was to see the people he loved most without the creases of stress on their faces, the kind that appeared with life-or-death decisions. _And to hear Denny's laugh again_.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Benji?" Ben shook his head, not wanting to reveal his thoughts lest she tease him, though why she would do something like that he didn't know._ I guess I'm just paranoid, and distrustful. Like almost everyone I know_.

"I'm thinking about you," _Partially. Mostly. Now I'm thinking about you 100%, especially how beautiful you are when you shoot things..._

"Really?" Denny sounded surprised, like that was a completely out-there answer. _More out-there than us fighting aliens from outer space_?

"How could I not? You're the bravest, strongest, _best_ girl I know. Beautiful whether she's kissing you, kicking Espheni ass, or any time really." Denny blushed, and gave him a swift peck on the cheek.

"I'm the _only_ girl you know, but I'll take the other compliments as well." Denny's mock haughtiness, a personality trait that she could never have, made Ben grin. _How is it that a geek like me wound up with her?_

"You're not the only girl I know, just the only one my age. Probably the only one left that's my age." The last bit tumbled out with no forethought on Ben's part, though Denny just sighed in agreement.

"You can thank this stupid war for that. This never-ending war." Denny sounded bitter, and Ben realized maybe she was just as tired of this war as everyone else. She'd never shown it, of course, but she had felt it and he hadn't noticed. _What kind of boyfriend am I_?

"We've got a plan to end it. Soon." _I'm very sure my dad, Weaver, and Hal have thought of something. Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't comfort her_?

"Oh, like the one to destroy the Mothership? We thought _that_ would work, and look where we are. Nowhere. This war's going to go on forever unless we all die out, or they get bored and leave." _No, no, we're going to win, Denny_. _Besides, what boyfriend wouldn't comfort his girlfriend? A bad one, which is what I've been, and I intend to not repeat_ that _mistake_.

"Denny, this time, it'll work.I promise."

"Thanks, Ben, but to the war it means nothing." Her words stung. He'd hoped she'd at least take some solace in his words, instead of completely brushing them off. _Though she's right. The world, the war, others, none of them care. Otherwise the skies wouldn't have fallen and killed almost all of us, leaving the survivors wondering what they did to deserve to live._


	16. Stand And Feel Your Worth

**Author's Note: I was very busy, what with physical injuries and all, and will be gone for a three-day-weekend in the middle of nowhere, but at least you have this!**

**SORRY FOR THE UBERLONG UPDATE! **

**The shadow plane is a page on the falling skies wiki, a page I highly suggest going to before**

**Anyone still reading?**

* * *

**_Hybrid Powers:_**

_Superhuman senses._

_Superhuman strength._

_Superhuman stamina._

_Superhuman regeneration._

_Empathy._

_Telepathy._

_Weather Manipulation/Atmokinesis._

_Telekinesis._

_Biokinesis._

_Gravity._

* * *

_"Learn what you are and be such." -Pindar._

_"When faith is lost, when honor dies, the man is dead." __-John Greenleaf Whittier._

* * *

Matt was standing in the middle of the forest, at midnight, all alone, quite possibly one of the stupidest things anyone could do in warfare. But here he was, and here he was to stay. All he knew was that Hal came out here every Sunday night, and that all the Espheni had left the area. To Matt, it reeked of blackmail or a deal. So here Matt was, looking for signs of who or what was communicating with his brother, and where the best places to hide would be. The area wasn't much less than a half mile away from Charleston, and Matt was fairly sure the no-Espheni deal applied there. He still had his gun on him, however.

He heard a twig snap behind him, and instantly drew out his pistol. It was a Skitter and its Overlord. The Overlord was dressed in a brown cloak of sorts, similar to the robe a monk would wear. Matt aimed his gun straight at the Overlord's head, only to have it knocked from his hand by the Skitter, which strangely did not attack any further. Matt backed away, though just as he was turning away to run, the Skitter wrapped one of its legs around his torso. Matt struggled, despite knowing it was futile.

He knew he was going to die. What sucked to him was the _how_. He'd always imagined he'd get to say at least some form of good-bye to his family, and die fighting the Espheni. Not like this, defenseless and alone. There was so much he wanted to say to his family. The Skitter chittered to the Overlord, and the Overlord inspected Matt like a specimen in an experiment. After more chittering, when Matt was sure he would be executed, the Overlord began walking away with the Skitter trailing behind with Matt in tow.

* * *

"I think you're ready for the shadow plane," Hal dared not look up at the Overlord's face. The Overlord, whose true name was Patri, preferred to be called the Monk, had often said that his and Hal's mission was to create peace between both the species. Though he intended to use Hal and Hal's powers to do so. In the beginning, the Monk hadn't trusted Hal much. Now, to take Hal to where the Overlords communicating, he obviously trusted Hal implicitly. "And to meet my brothers and sisters." The shadow plane was a big deal in itself, but to meet all the other Overlords? That was _way_ more than Hal had bargained for.

"Are you sure?" Hal wasn't sure he wanted to meet the other Overlords. They had taken over his planet through the murder of millions of people, and were now mutating the survivors into human-Skitter hybrids, stripping them of everything human except their mind, and even that wasn't immune. But he would keep his cool, he had to. Otherwise all humanity was doomed. Just to be safe, he forced himself to act undeserving. "I don't know if I'm ready-"

"You are," _Yes, I'm ready to see all the aliens I desperately want to kill_. "I would not lie to you." In under a millisecond, there were half a million sarcastic replies to that on Hal's tongue, but he didn't open his mouth. He simply nodded, and the Overlord scooped up a handful of dirt, silently signaling Hal to do the same. "Feel your power flow, and compress the dirt in your hand." Hal complied, and found himself on a world of crackling crust, magma spurts dotting the dark earth, sparks flying through the air. And the eleven Overlords there, not including the Monk, but including the Overlord warden of the ghetto camp he'd be imprisoned in. _You, sir, are #1 on my to kill list_. _And there are a lot of Overlords, more than the 2nd Mass and Charleston can handle_.

The Monk arrived, standing right next to Hal. On his arrival, the other Overlords turned their heads, taking in both him and Hal. They dipped their heads to the Monk, but looked at Hal like he was something mildly amusing. "Patri," One of the Overlords, a female by her voice, greeted the Overlord by his Overlord name. "and your human experiment." _Could she have said that with any more disdain?_ The Monk/Patri sensed Hal's discomfort, and sent him a calming wave in his mind. _  
_

"Bellator, he is one of us. He is loyal to our cause, and my blood flows in his veins." _I'm actually just waiting for the perfect moment to kill you all. And I actually wish your blood didn't flow in my veins_. Hal shielded his thoughts, his emotionless gaze meeting every one of the Espheni's eyes. 'Bellator' did the Overlord equivalent of rolling her eyes, glaring at Hal with hatred and distrust. "He's more powerful than the other, and he will ease humankind into their new future."

"So he managed to kill your other hybrid, the one you trained so well? Don't you think that's a bit _too_ powerful?" An Overlord standing next to Bellator commented, and Hal realized most Overlords didn't agree with the Monk. _They want me dead. And if the Monk gives in..._Hal steered his thoughts away from that. _I've 'proved' I'm loyal, I have to trust him. _A situation Hal never thought he'd be in. _I'm seeing more and more of that as this war goes on. _

"Relax. His power will be used for our good, our cause." _Thank you, Monk._ Though a small part of Hal wondered if the Monk was beginning to think about killing Hal. Alexis' words rang in his head _'They don't care about us. They just want us to help them annihilate the human race. We make it easier because we look human, and can preach to those destined to die'_.

"We can trust my brother." The warden -_Scorch, was that his name?_- declared adamantly, allowing no challenge from the other Overlords. _Thank you, Scorch. Wait, actually, the other guys are right_. "How are your projects coming along? I wish to leave this wretched planet as soon as possible." Oh, no, you did not just insult my home planet- wait, what 'projects'?

"We have all completed the mutation on the human populous in our zones. You and your brother are the only ones who have not. Why the delay?" It was Bellator again, whose voice was making Hal itch to punch her.

"The humans have put up a greater resistance. They have a fair amount of weapons in this country, and the humans know how to use them." Hal kept his face impassive, fighting off pride in the 2nd Mass and his family. "I was hoping to use him" -Scorch tilted his head in Hal's direction- "to get them to come in peacefully. His father is one of their leaders, and he is close friends with the others."

"If that fails, our armies are ready." Bellator's voice held a tone of impatience, and Hal knew he couldn't allow all the Espheni to converge on Charleston. Otherwise humanity would be snuffed out, if the ten other Overlords had armies as numerous as the one in America. "We cannot stay on this planet much longer. It is a waste of our time. We have more pressing matters, concerning our homeworld." As intrigued as Hal was about the problems surrounding their homeworld, he was concerned only with Earth and the human race.

"Why don't you and the others take your armies to your homeworld?" All the Overlords' eyes were on him, and Hal felt his pulse speed up. "The only human resistance is in America, and we have more than enough forces to take care of them. I can convince the humans to come to us willingly, though I don't know how long it'll take." _Please, accept it. _The survival on humanity was riding on this decision, and Hal had no say in it whatsoever. _Talk about suspense_.

"I see no problem with that plan," Bellator said, and Hal felt his heart leap. Then she continued. "but it requires us to trust you, and I cannot do that." The other Overlords nodded in agreement.

"I can control him, and should he try to betray me, I will kill him." Hal could've sworn he heard emotion in the Monk's voice, almost as if he didn't want to kill Hal. _Just because I'm a weapon. Right?_

"No worries. I won't betray you." The hypocrisy of that statement filled Hal's mind, making his pulse speed up _that_ much more. _I can't risk any of them finding out_.

"Then this meeting is adjourned." The other Overlords disappeared, with only the Monk and Hal remaining. Hal had a feeling the Monk wanted to say something to him. "I just need one test to prove your loyalty." The Monk disappeared in a swirl of dust, and Hal looked around the shadow plane, wondering what exactly his test could be. He returned to the real world...and saw his baby brother thrown unceremoniously on the ground by a Skitter.

"Kill him and I'll believe you,"

* * *

Matt was exhausted and terrified, despite the adrenaline pumping through his body. His brother had been meeting with an Espheni, and Matt's mind now held no doubt Hal would kill him. _I just hope it's quick_. The Espheni, while he was in their custody, had tortured his mind with twisted memories of his pre-war life, something he never wanted to experience again. _Let my brother have enough mercy left in him to do that_. Matt couldn't bring himself to look into Hal's eyes, and kept his gaze to the ground, drawing in breaths while he still could.

_'Matt...what did they do to you?'_ Hearing Hal's voice in his head was disconcerting, but hearing the concern in it was even more disconcerting. Matt didn't know how the whole thought-projection-thought-reading thing worked, so he just focused all his mental capacity on one thought: _Why do you care? You're dealing with an Espheni!_

_'I'm waiting to betray them. There are more of them than you know. Besides, you're my brother, I'll always care.'_ Matt trusted and distrusted Hal at the same time, but in this situation, he had to trust Hal.

_What can you or I do to get me out of this?_

_'How about...you killing the Overlord?'_

_How would I accomplish that?_

"Can't we harness him? Or even mutate him? Surely there has to be a better way to use human life." Hal's voice, audible to Matt's ears this time. Hal sounded so brainwashed it was eery, but the conversation in his mind debated that fact.

_'Easy. A branch next to you. Bash his head in with it. I'll make the Skitter attack me, and well...I'll report it to the other Overlord.'_

_Why don't you just kill him?  
_

_'Because...other Overlords, armies, suspicion, and other things I promise I will explain later.'_

_Okay...when do I strike?_

"Prove your loyalty by killing him. One life to transform millions of others for better." _'Now would be good.'_ Hal extended a hand, as if he were going to kill Matt. Matt swiped up the branch and slammed it against the Overlord's head, even when the Overlord fell to the ground. He saw Hal under the Skitter, which quickly disintegrated, which Matt attributed to Hal.

"Thanks, Hal. Though I think you have a lot to tell Charleston." Hal nodded, a dark look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I do, but that doesn't matter now. Are you _sure_ you're fine?" Matt nodded, and did not protest when Hal drew him in for a tight hug. When Hal released him, he also sighed. "Now, let's go get started on the end of the war. And if we play our cards right...we might actually win."

**Author's Note: Weak ending, but eh. Next chapter they actually begin planning, and afterwards, the battle!**


	17. There's A Will And There's A Way

**Author's Note: I feel awful about not updating. The days went by so slowly, but the weeks went by like *snaps fingers* that.**

**Who wants a S6, because they so owe us for S4!**

**By the way, I'm a Texan, so don't be surprised later on this chapter... :)**

**WARNING: Some Hades, just because there isn't Maggie anymore, and, well, AU. Don't worry, it isn't major, and it can be taken as friendship for all you die-hard Mal shippers.**

**Next chapter is_ the_ battle...**

* * *

_"All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us based on our splendid failure to do the impossible." - William Faulkner._

_"Vengeance, though sweet at first, becomes a bitter cup that proves to be its own executioner." -Irish Proverb. _

* * *

It was by far the strangest council of war ever convened. Marina Peralta, Daniel Weaver, Tom Mason and his sons, Anthony, and Denny were all discussing the battle plans that would decide the fate of humanity: mutated, mindless soldiers for the Espheni, or normal human beings who controlled what they did. _Hopefully the second one_. "I can convince them to meet us here," Hal pointed to a dot on the map, which marked a valley the 2nd Mass knew well, and would therefore have the advantage. "but you all have to lay down your weapons-"

"-It's a little hard to fight a battle without weapons, Hal." Ben interrupted, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"If you'd let me finish, I would have said _on arrival_. Then the Overlord gives the a-okay for the other ones to leave, and we duke it out with him."

"How long is it going to take him to give the a-okay? I'm not sure we can keep the surrender act up for long." Weaver commented, his eyes scanning the map as if he'd magically get a better plan. _Unfortunately, you're stuck with this one. Waa_.

"The other Overlords loading their parts of the army up into their spaceship as we speak. They've stayed here far too long as it is, they're eager to move on." _Because they don't want the other big bad aliens to catch up with them before they're ready_. "Once our Overlord enters the Shadow Plane-"

"Come again?" Anthony's eyes became more alert at the unfamiliar term, and he turned to Denny and Ben for answers, both of whom shrugged in reply.

"-all he has to do is say 'Go' and they're gone." _Though he probably will not say 'go'. _

"What's the 'Shadow Plane'?" Marina leaned forward, her eyes making contact with Hal's. "Is it an area on Earth? Or-"

"Honestly, I have no idea what it is," _I know how to use it and how to get there, but not what it is_. _I kind of murdered my mentor before we got there. _"but there's nothing we can do about it." _True statement_. His answer seemed to satiate her for the moment.

"So, basically our plan is go to this valley, lay down our weapons until the other Espheni leave, then fight against an army twice our size if not larger?" Tom sounded incredulous, though he did have a right. _If I were him, I wouldn't like the plan either, but it's all we have_.

"Pretty much. Although Ben and Dr. Kadar are trying to build something to scramble Skitter sound waves, therefore making it harder for them to launch an organized attack." _I feel like I'm at a press conference. Next question_?

"We have you, too," Hal winked at Matt, silently thanking his baby brother for the vote of confidence. _We have me, a quarter-trained hybrid with absolutely no idea what he's doing, or if it'll work. But I guess we just gotta roll with it_.

"When are we supposed to...'surrender' to the Overlord?" Weaver's tone conveyed his distaste at the mere thought of surrendering to the Espheni. _You and me both_. Hal did some mental calculations, (which he was better at now thanks to his Espheni genes) and realized they had two days to prepare.

"In about two days," Weaver let out a breath, giving all the answer they needed. "Sorry about the short notice."

"Damn. Two days? To brief all Charleston on this plan and convince them it'll work? It might be hard, but it's doable." The last sentence sound like a forced pep talk, but no one dared comment on it. It was the best they would get, given the situation and the stakes. It was then Hal realized Marina had given very little input, but the poor woman probably felt way out of her league. _We're all feeling it_. While all of them had dreamed of an end to the war, it seemed like it was impossible to have one. _It's just one of those things that you want an end to but can't imagine your life after's over_.

"I will leave you to handle the organization of the military," Marina looked at them all, her voice slightly betraying her out-of-my-league feeling. "and I will prepare the civilians to move out." She left the room after issuing her orders, and Weaver coughed for their attention.

"You heard the woman. Tom, you and I'll take charge of tactical positioning and make sure everyone knows where they're supposed to be. Anthony, Denny, send out squads to scrounge up as much ammunition as possible, and get a squad focused on the creation of explosions. Ben, keep doing what you're doing with Kadar, and you two..." Weaver focused on Matt and Hal. "Make yourselves useful. Clear all decisions through me and Tom, and make sure to collaborate if it's needed." Everyone filtered out of the room, leaving Matt and Hal alone.

"What should we do?" With Matt's expectant gaze on him, Hal's brain racked for a sensible answer, which thankfully came almost immediately.

"Go to the infirmary, make sure that they have everything they'll need and more, and take stock of everything they need." Matt shrugged and walked with his brother to the infirmary, neither being sure on how to strike up a conversation.

"So...do you think we can win this?" Yes. That should have been the answer that rolled of Hal's tongue, and he should have been fully confident in it. Unfortunately, things hardly ever went the way they should. _For us at least, it seems. __  
_

"'Course. Why, you doubting us?" Hal tried to shift the focus of the conversation. _One more hallway to the infirmary, come on..._

"I don't know. It just seems so _final_. This is _the_ outcome. Either we get screwed or we win. And they're so much more superior, tech wise at least, plus they outnumber us..." Hal was fully aware of the odds, pros and cons, all that wonderful knowledge. He might not have complete faith in the 2nd Mass's chances at victory, but he was going to make sure his baby brother did.

"Think of the Alamo," _-Terrible example but it's the best one I can think of-_ "they were outnumbered and outgunned by the Mexican army. The Texans had around 300 men, and the Mexicans about 1800. The Texans took about a third of the Mexican army, making it easier for Sam Houston to win at San Jacinto. They all wound up dying, except for a few women, children, and slaves, but the war would have been a lot harder to win without them. Even if we all wind up dying, which is highly unlikely, other humans will pick up the fight. The best and worst thing about humanity is our stubbornness. If we don't wanna get wiped out, we won't allow it to happen. And we don't. Basically, no matter what happens, we win, the Espheni lose." They arrived at the infirmary a few seconds later, where Lourdes greeted them._  
_

Hal told her why they were there, and she called all the medical staff who weren't busy with patients. Hal told them what they needed, and the medical staff shuffled off to take inventory and make a list of what they needed. Lourdes lingered, however, a hopeful and urgent light in her eyes. "Hal, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" Hal agreed, doing his best to ignore his brother's smirks the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song that was through his brother's head. Blocking out his brother's thoughts, Hal smiled at Lourdes.

"What do you need?" Lourdes fumbled through her pockets, her dark curls cascading over her left shoulder as she turned her head to her right to look more closely through her pockets. _Is that...jasmine shampoo? It smells really good on her_. "Nice shampoo." _That wasn't creepy or awkward at all. Good job, Hal_. Unfazed, Lourdes triumphantly pulled her hand out of her pocket, the object inside it hidden by the fist clenched around it.

"Since we're going into battle in a day or two, and you'll be on the front line...I was wondering if you would wear this. For your protection." She handed him a medal of sorts, strung on a metal chain. A woman's face was engraved on it. _Umm..._

"Of course," He put it on his neck, not knowing what it was, but not wanting to offend Lourdes. _It's the thought that counts, and it proves she cares...but we're friends. Just friends_. "If you don't mind my asking...what is it?" Lourdes blushed in embarrassment, a smile tugging at her lips for the same reason, eyes going to the floor. Ah, crap. "I assure you, it's ignorance on my part." _You look really good with pink cheeks. And smiling. _

"It's a medal of Joan of Arc. She's the patron saint of soldiers. I've been praying to her for everyone's protection recently, but, you could use the protection, even with all your powers." He hugged her for a multitude of reasons, all of them indescribable and emotional. _There are somethings words can't describe, they have to be felt_.

"Thank you, Lourdes," Hal suddenly wished she had something to protect her in battle. Sure, the army of Charleston was seasoned when it came to the Espheni, and were a force to be reckoned with, but he felt the same way about Lourdes as he did with his family: the only place they'd be truly safe was an indestructible, self-sustaining bunker buried deep underground. _Sadly, I haven't figured out how to build it. Yet_._  
_

"Don't thank me until we all come back safe." Lourdes replied, and Hal tipped his head as if he agreed with her.

"We'll be trying our best and that's all that matters, right?"

"Of course," Lourdes gave him an encouraging grin. "We always win in the end. We're the good guys." She then went off to go help the rest of the medical staff.

_If only life were like a movie_.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update again.**


End file.
